


Collision

by BlackandBlueMadness26



Series: Superhero Young Love [7]
Category: DCU (Comics), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Humor, I mean if you follow this series you're aware by now, M/M, Multiverse, Time Travel, and i'm sorry about that, basically a mess, but the five percent of angst left are gonna be heaaaaaavy, i just have a lot of feelings ok, like really, ninety five percent of this fic is gonna be really crack induced fun and fluff, probably at this point
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:15:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 20,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21725890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlackandBlueMadness26/pseuds/BlackandBlueMadness26
Summary: Apparently trouble always comes in pairs. due to a magical accident, only a month after their trip to the past,  Bart and Damian are again propulsed into an un planned trip, this time to meet with the people from the timeline they interacted in, in present time. and they're not alone, as their friends and family followed them into this adventure. together, they will find out about all the changes that occured in this new world that has been created, and fight the Caretaker once and for all.
Relationships: Bart Allen/Jaime Reyes, Dick Grayson/Wally West, Jonathan Kent/Damian Wayne, Roy Harper/Jason Todd, Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent, others maybe (idk I probably forgot)
Series: Superhero Young Love [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1173626
Comments: 118
Kudos: 105





	1. Prologue: Maintaining The Flame

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya!  
> Did you miss me?  
> I certainly missed you!  
> So. I've been having a hard time deciding how I wanted to write this. this is going to be a very important tome plot wise and I wanted to keep writing fluffy, funny stuff while also keeping in mind that there are dark things coming our way.  
> So I decided on writing this prologue, a very ominous prologue to which you won't get any answers until really far in the future lol  
> anyway, I hope you enjoy this little sneak peak of sort! xxx

_To be quite honest, I always knew it would come down to this. No matter what, it was always going to get to this point ; it was always going to be Bart or me._

_I think a part of me knew the moment I met him, a part I had buried deep down and didn’t want to let out. There was something about him, something that made me feel like we were two sides of the same coin. And t the same tme, I somehow felt terrified sometimes when I was with him, as if I knew what lied ahead ._

_Yet even now, as the end is near, I don’t regret anything. I don’t regret meeting him, befriending him and having him in my life, having him become part of my family and him welcoming me into his. I was lost before he found me. I didn’t know who I was anymore. Everything I used to believe in, everything I used to be had been lost . I didn’t know what path to take, and I was so scared of literally everything, afraid of the world, of how the world saw me, of not being good enough, strong enough._

_But Bart came in, and he brought the only thing I truly needed back into my life, the thing I had lost so young : hope. I didn’t even realize how hopeless I was until he came to show me._

_People usually say that Bart is like the sun, shining brightly upon us and keeping us in the clear and warm. But to me, he’s different. Bart is like the fire in the fireplace we light up during a rainy day. The sun can always be eclipsed by clouds of grey, but when it happens, Bart is still there to remind us that it’s okay, it will pass, we just need to stay in for a while and gather in front of the flame._

_I remember him telling me I was going to do great things, things that mattered a lot more than I even realized. And he was right._

_Today I’m going to save the world._

_Today I’m going to save Bart Allen._

_Today I’m goind to die, and he’s going to live._

_Despite it all, I’m smiling. It was always going to be him or me. And I would always choose him. I’m happy._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... who's gonna die this time? 🤔  
> Next chapter: What happened befor our OG's got transported into the Alternate Timeline


	2. Familiar Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In hindsight, Bart should have known that something like that was bound to happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO EVERYONE  
> HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!!!  
> Ok so I'm awfully sorry I didn't post t all in the last weeks of 2019, I just had a lot to deal with!  
> but now I'm back!  
> So this chapter is not really that long , and it's a bit messy, but it's because I needed to establish the status quo before getting into the real thing!  
> I tried to make it as funny and fluffy as possible, so I hope I succeeded in that!   
> Hope you'll enjoy! xxx

As always when something big was about to happen in his life, Bart’s day had started pretty great. he’d been up early, had had breakfast with his fiancé and their soon to be ex-roommates as they were currently looking for a place of their own .

After breakfast he’d gone for a run around the city just because he could, only stopping once to prevent a bank robbery in progress. After that he’d gone for lunch with his college friends, Nathan, Simon and of course Amy, who was uncharacteristically quiet that day.

“Hey Ames,” he asked her a bit concerned, “Is everything alright ?”

“Hm ? Oh yes, sorry everything’s fine it’s just… I feel like something huge is gonna happen soon, and I have no idea whether it’s a good or a bad thing yet.”

Bart didn’t say anything in response but he couldn’t help but feel worried hearing her say this. Anyone else talking about having a bad feeling, he could probably dismiss , but Amy was never wrong, partly thanks to her powers. he’d learned to take her very seriously the past month.

He snapped out of his daze to smile at her and try to reassure her (and himself) :

“Well, whatever comes our way, we’ll deal with it, don’t worry.”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right. I’ll try not to think about it too much.”

The rest of the lunch went by without any problem and Bart had a great time with his friends. As they were leaving the restaurant though, he received a text from Damian telling him he needed him urgently at the manor, and he couldn’t help but feel an enormous sense of déjà-vu, not to mention dread. He excused himself from his friend and ran to Wayne Manor, not taking the time to knock or say hello as he sped to Damian’s room.

“I came as soon as I saw your text! what’s going on? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Who do I need to kill?”

“Jesus Bart, do you ever breathe? “

“Not when you’re potentially in danger! Now point me to my target!”

“You don’t have to kill anyone! Why is it every time I need a favor you think I’m about to die or something?”

“BECAUSE YOU ALWAYS SEND TEXTS THAT SOUND LIKE DISTRESS SIGNALS!”

“Stop screaming! Geez, I should have called Dick.”

“Well I’m here now, so tell me what’s wrong before I lose my mind!”

“alright alright! So um… basically I think Jon’s gonna break up with me. “

“… you’re kidding.”

“Wish I was...”

“… You’re telling me that I dropped everything in a second notice to come to you because I was scared to death that something had happened to you, but in reality you’re just a delusional idiot ?”

“I’m not delusional! He said we needed to talk! that’s basically code for ‘I’m gonna break up with you as soon as I see you’!”

“I… stay calm Bart it’s gonna be fine. Damian, Jon is crazy about you. In what world would he ever break up with you ?”

“Ours apparently.”

“You’re just being paranoid, like always. Seriously Dams, unless you decide to become a genocidal maniac, I don’t think Jon would ever willingly break up with you. So calm down, breathe and wait until he tells you what he has to say. it’s probably not that deep.”

“… You’re sure?”

“Yes I’m sure. You need to start trusting yourself And Jon more, this is getting ridiculous.”

“I know… I’m just a bit on edge this week. Thanks for coming anyway. Sorry about the scare and all that.”

“It’s okay, I probably overreacted a tad bit. Especially since last time you ask for my help in the middle of the day we ended up in the past. I don’t have time for another impromptu trip, I’ve got a wedding to plan.”

“Yeah I get you. Fortunately there’s no way that’s happening right now, no weird portals to be s...”

It was certain in Bart’s mind at that very moment that Damian and himself were cursed, as Damian hadn’t even had time to finish his sentence before a breach in time and space started forming in the middle of his bedroom and managed to suck both of them in.

A few seconds later, they were in a new place, a living room it seemed, one Bart found familiar but couldn’t quite remember why. It looked like somewhere he’d been before but some of the decor was a bit off. He didn’t have time to dwell on it as Damian started screaming:

“For fuck sake! Not again! Why does this keep happening?! I don’t have time for this! I have to meet Jon with in thirty minutes, if I’m late I think it’s fair to say he WILL break up with me! Bart! Do something right now!”

“What am I supposed to do?! “

“I don’t know! Think of something!”

“ahem… hi” they heard a voice behind them. They turned around to find Amy sheepishly looking at them. Now Bart understood why the place was familiar. It was Amy’s apartment, except he was sure the walls were gray last time he came here, not white. And why was there a giant poster of the Flying Graysons above the couch? Also, wasn’t Amy still out with Nate and Simon right now?

“What’s going on?” he wondered out loud.

“to be quite honest, I’m just as lost as you are Bartie...” Amy answered with a frown, as suddenly, more portals started to open, letting more people through, starting from Wally and Dick, then Tim, Conner and Jaime, then Jason and Roy and finally Jon which made Damian sigh in relief.

“Oh thank God, now we’re both late!”

Jon looked at him confused while Bart facepalmed. Dick was the first to talk:

“Okay, what’s going on here? Why was there a breach in our living room? And what are we all doing here? “

“um… I think it was my fault,” Amy answered a bit ashamed, “You see I was trying on a new ritual to try and get ahead of the Caretaker, and this ritual was supposed to give me a new perspective or some other crap, but instead it kinda brought you all here and… huh. Y’all seem kinda different but I can’t really put my finger on what exactly is wrong. “

“um, guys?” Jon interrupted, “am I the only one who’s not getting any service with his phone?”

“I don’t think now’s really the time Jonnie,” Conner answered , but Tim stopped him:

“No, he might actually be onto something, look! it’s like our phones have been disconnected from every satellites! It makes sense unless...”

“… unless it’s not our world anymore,” Wally finished his sentence for him. “You guys, I think we just traveled to a parallel universe.”

everyone showed various degrees of shock and exasperation , all talking over each other . Jason finally had enough:

“everyone shut up! let’s all try to figure out where we are and what we’re going to do .”

and so they started trying to get more information from Amy. Soon enough, it was clear to everyone that this was the timeline Bart and Damian had once interfered with. Amy assured them she would find a way to send them back, but in the mean time, they were probably here for a reason, and maybe with their help, they could get rid of this world’s Caretaker once and for all. Knowing they didn’t exactly have a choice, they reluctantly agreed to meet with their doppelgangers.

As Amy went to the kitchen to call his double, Bart went out on the balcony to try and make sense of all that was happening . It didn’t take long for Jaime to join him.

“Well at least this time you didn’t go without me,” he joked while wrapping his arms around Bart’s waist from behind and resting his head on his shoulder.

“Yeah, that’s a relief. I can’t believe I’m already back in this world. I’ve been wondering how things had turned out for all our counterparts for the past month. Seems like it’s not that different, I mean we already know I’m still friends with Ames and Nate in this world. And apparently we’re all still alive. “

“We’ll know what the differences are soon enough. Damian is not dealing with all this very well,” Jaime added while looking back inside where Damian was sulking while Jon was trying to comfort him. Bart huffed.

“He’s just in one of his moods, don’t worry about it. You know how teenagers are, always thinking everything is a catastrophe when it’s just a minor setback.”

“You gotta admit being stuck in another dimension is not exactly a mundane thing.”

“Yeah, but he was already being over-dramatic before this whole ordeal so I’m not really concerned bout his mood swings right now. “

“If you say so. I can’t believe I’m gonna meet my worst enemy soon.”

“What do yoyu mean? who’s your worst enemy.”

“Me of course. Other me I mean. The one you met as a child and pampered like a prince while I was worried sick back in our time.”

“Being jealous of yourself is a bit strange don’t you think?”

“wouldn’t you have been jealous if you were me?”

“Probably not no, cause I’m not actually insane. Besides, Baby Jaime has his own Bart now, so I don’t really think you have anything to worry bout.”

“hm, true. I wonder how different this other you is gonna be.”

“Probably not a lot. Whatever has changed , my upbringing probably stayed the same, and those years shaped me the most. But there might be some slight changes here and there, new quirks. Maybe I’m really good at Spanish here!”

“I wouldn’t count on it. But hey, you’ve been improving the past few months, I’ve heard you study when you thought I wasn’t there! Is there a particular reason you’ve decided to take it even more seriously all of a sudden?”

Bart didn’t answer right away, smiling to himself. he’d decided soon after Jaime proposed that he’d try to incorporate a part in Spanish into his wedding vows, knowing Jaime would appreciate it more than words could say. he’d been working hard every free time he got, trying not to arise Jaime’s suspicions in the process. he’d even gone to Jason for advice and to have him help with translating what he’d already written, Jason being the only other Spanish speaker he knew and trusted enough to ask such a favor to.

He finally decided to answer in half truths:

“Well, it’s a part of you isn’t it? Your language, your culture. I want to be able to respect and appreciate it as much as I can. So I figured that being proficient enough in Spanish was the least I could do for the love of my life.”

Jaime let go of Bart’s waist so he could turn around and face him, and said with a lovesick smile and shining eyes:

“I always think you could never make me love you more than I already do but you always prove me wrong. I cannot wait to call you my husband.”

Bart leaned in to peck Jaime on the lips before responding:

“I’m looking forward to that too. But fiance will have to do for now, until this whole mess is dealt with.”

“Yeah, I figured as much. Now come on, let’s get back inside and get ready for the most surreal moment of our life.”

Bart happily let Jaime take his hand and lead him back inside, feeling ready for whatever this meeting had in store for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Damian is a disaster. Bart is still the best at basicaally everything, and Jaime is still campaining for the title of my Favorite Child ™. all in all, it's a typical day in the neighborhood!  
> Next Chapter: Wally2


	3. Breakfast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Wallys reminisce on their lives during breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeey!  
> So. I wasn't planning on writing this one wor a few more days since I have like a hundred other projects that need my attention (most of which you'll never even see and you should be glad cause it's a mess) but then I couldn't help it. so here you go !  
> Also my letter a was blocked for a while while I was writing this and I think I caught all of the missing As but in case I missed some you know why lol I hate this computer okay byyyyye!

When Wally first saw his doppelganger, his first instinct was to think that the world was ending. Why else would the universe allow two versions of himself to meet? This was a recipe for disaster that was for sure.

Everything happened really fast after that, they all talked, figured out what was going on a bit then relocated to the manor where they could have more space. After hours upon hours of trying to understand what the meaning of this whole situation was, they finally decided to call it quits for the night and try and get some rest. Dick, being his amazing helpful self, offered the guest room to his and Wally’s apartment to their respective doubles, which they gracefully accepted. While both Dicks seemed to be very comfortable with each other and the situation in general, the Wallys mostly stayed silent, feeling awkward.

After a good night of sleep, Wally woke up pretty early, long before Dick which tended to happen when Dick decided to finally let himself relax. He kissed his husband on the forehead before getting up and directing himself to the kitchen. There, he was met with the sight of the other him making breakfast. Things were getting more and more surreal every minute. He awkwardly cleared his throat to signal he was there, and, other him nearly let the frying pan full of bacon fall, thank God for speedster’s reflexes.

“Oh um… hi. I made breakfast, hope that’s okay?”

“Yeah sure, make yourself at home. It kind of is your home after all… unless it isn’t? I mean for all I know you could live somewhere different in your world. “

“No no, it’s pretty much the same. Well, except for Cupcake.”

“Cupcake?”

“Yeah, our dog. I was wondering about that this morning, do you not have a dog or is he with Bart right now?”

“No dog I’m afraid. And if I had one I would probably not name him Cupcake.”

“Try saying no to Bart when he’s dead set on something.”

“Ah, this explains a lot,” Wally nodded while stealing a piece of bacon from the pan which would have earned him a smack on the hand from his husband, but of course his other self didn’t mind. Instead, he made two plates of scrambled eggs and bacon and gave one to his counterpart who smiled gratefully before sitting across from him.

“So,” he started the conversation up again, “You’re me, except not really.”

“That’s the basic summary yes. “

“You don’t seem to be that different. I mean, you’re still a speedster, you’re still married to Dickie and you still treat Bart as your child from the look of the hundreds of pictures of him you have in this house. Seriously, I don’t have that many.”

“Are you shaming me for loving Bartie with all my heart?”

“No, I’m shaming you for going overboard a bit with your love.”

“Of all people to betray me, I thought you would be the last one. “

“No, I mean I get it. When Bartie moved out of our apartment to go live with Jaime, Tim and Kon, I was a mess and I thought of kidnapping him and never letting him leave again. “

“He lived with you?”

“Yeah for a year. He was having a very bad time and I wanted to be there for him. It was t the beginning of my relationship with Dick and soon enough he moved in too and we got Cupcake . It was one of the best years of my life to be honest.”

“Damn I wish I would have had Bart live with me. He went straight to live with Tim and Jaime fter high school.”

“Bart went to high school? Now that’s new. Wait didn’t Conner move in with them too?”

“No? Why would he have? He had his own place already. And he loves his place. it’s hard to get him out of it sometimes.”

“he still lives there? Damn, I can’t really imagine that. Tim coping with not living with Conner? Unbelievable.”

“You’re kidding right? Kon’s the one who’s begging Tim to come and live with him. Which will probably happen sooner or later, when Tim is finally ready to not have Jaime by his side 24/7. I swear those two act even more married than Dickie and I sometimes. I don’t know how Bart manages not to get jealous. I would’ve blown up already I think.”

“we’ve never been as patient or understanding as Bart let’s face it. But then again Dick is not really better. I still remember how he tried to threaten Conner once cause he was called Boo on my phone. “

“He tried to threaten Conner of all people because he thought there was something going on between you two? that’s the most hilarious thing I’ve ever heard! And also kind of hypocritical of him.”

“In his defense, he didn’t actually know it was Conner at the time, he thought it was just some random dude on my phone. Why would it be hypocritical though?”

“Oh I don’t know, maybe because of the fact they dated for five years?”

“….what.”

“They dated. Dick and Kon were a couple for five whole years. didn’t that… happen in your world?”

“No! No it didn’t what the fuck?! Dick and Conner?! How in the hell?! How does something like that happens?!”

“um… well I don’t have all the details but um… I think it started when Dick told him his secret identity, just before Bart and Dami went back to their time. After that they started playfully flirting with each other and things escalated to making out when they thought no one was looking and all that crap and then through a succession of events that I won’t get into cause that shit still hurts and also I’m ashamed, they began dating. But like, they didn’t just date, they were THE couple. You know the kind everyone thinks is perfect and want to emulate? Yeah that was them. “

“I…. I’m so confused right now… that’s the weirdest most scary thing I’ve ever heard, I think I’m gonna have nightmares for weeks now.”

“You get used to it. Well, I still feel guilty for basically being the reason they broke up and getting Kon heartbroken, but at the same time, he’s so happy with Tim right now so it was probably for the best.”

“Oh my God… he dated two Robins I can’t… how do you even make that transition?”

“Not easily apparenty. Especially since it took him a full year to realize that Tim was not 14 anymore. He used to call him ‘Kid’ all the time, so that didn’t help matter. Lucky for him Tim was already head over heels. “

“Your world is so strange. At least Dickie wasn’t alone when you died .”

“I beg your pardon?”

“You know, when you died? When you disappeared for a year after saving the World from the Reach?”

“...You died?”

“Oh come on! You didn’t die? that’s not fair!”

“You died….”

He couldn’t wrap his head around it. The idea he could have gotten killed during the events of the Reach invasion, that he could have lost a whole year of his life hit him right in the chest, and he found it hard to breathe all of a sudden.

“Hey, it’s okay! I came back after all, didn’t I? And it wasn’t that bad. I mean it was terrible, for everyone around me, and I still feel guilty about that, but honestly, I don’t really remember dying. One second I was disintegrating and the next I was back, except a year had passed. “

“How did it happen? How did you...”

“Oh, well one of the bombs had gone off, so Uncle B, Bart and I had to run around it to stop the impact but… I wasn’t fast enough,” Wally said with a sad smile, “I had always been the slowest, but that combined with the fact that I had stopped being a Superhero for a while at that time well… I was far too slow, and an easy target for the energy begging to escape. “

“You stopped… you stopped running and that killed you…”

“I guess you could say it like that… didn’t you quit then?”

“No, well I mean I did quit the team, not long after Jason died, but… I couldn’t stop altogether. Since I had met Bart, my goal had always been to become faster, better, to become someone he could be proud of when he would arrive. The older version of him, he made me want to become the best version of myself, he inspired me… so I told Arty I couldn’t do it and she understood. We still moved in together but I started protecting Keystone in my spare time, and I was getting faster as time went by… by the time the Reach thing happened I was practically as fast as Uncle B.”

“So basically what you’re saying is that Bart saved you?”

“I guess so… “

“He’s gonna be happy to hear that. He felt so bad not telling you and Jason what laid ahead when he had the chance. He knew he shouldn’t, but it was hard to actually go through with it. But everything worked out in the end right? Everything is as it should be.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry this happened to you .”

“Don’t be. I think I needed that to happen. It made me realize how unpredictable and short life was. It showed me I needed to go after the things I wanted without fear, and to take care of the people I loved, make sure they knew I cared. Also Jay and I are the only people alive to have their hologram in the memorial room, sometimes we go there and scare new recruits making them think we’re ghosts. it’s fun. Clark has threatened to ban us or to take them down but he hasn’t yet. I think he secretly enjoys it.”

“I think the craziest thing I’ve heard yet is you and Jay being partners in crime.”

“I don’t see why. Jay’s adorable, he’s my favorite.”

“Jay’s your favorite? I feel like he’s about to kill me half of the time!”

“nah, it’s just a facade.”

“You’re insane. Tim is a much better choice.”

“Really? You think Tim is less dangerous than Jay? that’s what he wants you to think, but he’s actually a monster out for blood. I can’t handle Tim, even Damian is easier to deal with.”

“Okay, let’s agree that Damian is the best and call it a day.”

“Yeah, I can get behind that.” Other world Wally agreed while stuffing his mouth full of eggs. Other world Dick chose this moment to enter the room and looked at them both, probably trying to figure out who was who. After a while, he just shrugged and said:

“Only one way to find out.”

he then approached his Wally and kissed him passionately, and honestly the other one felt a bit out of place at that point but at the same time he couldn’t look away. When he was done and the first Wally looked thoroughly satisfied, he moved on to the second, sitting on his lap and kissing him with just as much passion. When he was done, he just stayed where he was sitting and said with a smile:

“Yeah, you’re not mine. Your hands don’t wander as much.”

“Now that you’ve found out the truth, you can let go of him!” his Wally said indignantly, already starting to sulk.

“Nah, he’s comfortable. Besides I’m not talking to you, you wouldn’t let me be little spoon last night. “

“You’re always little spoon! couldn’t I have tried it for once!”

“No. don’t disturb the order of things. Besides your hugs are better than mine so you have to be the big spoon. “

“Are you guys seriously fighting about that right now? Give up Wallace, you’re never gonna be little spoon. You should know a losing battle when you see one.”

“See, he gets it! I’m keeping you. “

Wally chuckled while his counterpart huffed.

“I’m flattered, but I’m pretty content with my Dickie. Besides, this one wouldn’t know what to do without you. “

“Heh, you’re not wrong,” Dick decided before migrating from one Wally to another, giving him a peck to stop his pouting. “What were you talking about anyway? “

“Just…. Our lives, and how they differ.”

“Oh. Interesting! I’ll have to ask my double about this also! I’m very curious!”

“I was too, until I learned you dated Kon for five years.”

“I did what?!”

“You heard me!”

this world’s Wally just laughed. He had to admit this situation was far more enjoyable than he’d first anticipated. It was fun to talk to himself, and it made him appreciate all he had even more. After all as other him had said, life was unpredictable and short. But he would be sure to always make the most of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaand here we go! okay so like, not all the chapters are gonna be between doubles, cause honestly it's a pain to write about the same character twice except not really. but I thought it was funny for some characters like Wally, Damian also probably, and Jason maybe but I'm not sure, maybe I'll have OG Jason talk to Paradox Jaime instead cause that could be very cute. anyway I'll stop rambling.  
> Next Chapter: tbh I'm not sure yet


	4. We Did Good

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jason wakes up in the morning and wants to take care of his son... only it isn't his.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi...  
> so. yeah I'm ashamed. I disappeared and I honestly don't have an excuse. thing is, I was writing a totally ifferent project that took up most of my time and I had to finish it cause reasons and after that I had a hard time getting back into this story. I'm mad at myself because there was a specific chapter I wanted to write and post for my birthday which has now come and gone , and yeah.  
> But anyway, here it is. it's really short, cause to be honest i wanted to write more but I like the ending so much that it felt wrong to add anything after the last sentence.   
> Anyway here, have some Jay² cause they're precious and the best dads.   
> Hope you enjoy x

When Jason woke up, he didn’t realize the situation he was in at first. He’d never been a morning person after all, and it wasn’t unusual for him to fall asleep on the couch after a particularly tiring day. So he got up, got to the kitchen and started to sleepily try to make coffee, which was a harder task than usual as he couldn’t seem to find any of the things he needed; everything seemed out of place, and he wondered when Roy decided to reorganize the whole kitchen. 

As he finished preparing the coffee, he heard a small voice behind him :

“Daddy?”

He turned to his son who looked at him with a sleepy face, rubbing his eyes and frowning a little, confused about something. 

“hi Angel, you slept ok?” he asked as he opened his arms for Caleb to come and hug him, which he did as Jason lifted him up.

As he looked at him from up close, Caleb frowned again and suddenly said matter-of-factly, poking Jason’s face in the process:

“you’re not my daddy.” 

It was Jason’s turn to frown, until e remembered what happened the day before and where he was exactly. He sighed, while Caleb kept poking his cheek, probably trying to see if it was a mask, before saying:

“not exactly no, you’re right. But you don’t seem afraid.”

“no, you’re not a meanie, I know that. You’re nice like daddy. Why do you look like him?”

“That’s a great question, and it’s very complicated. Let’s just say where I come from, I’m your dad.”

“oh… okay!” he accepted easily “so that means you can make breakfast? I’m hungry.”

“Of course baby, what do you want to eat?”

“I want pancakes!” he said excitedly. Jason chuckled.

“alright then. Do you want to help me make them?”

“yay!”

They got to work, making a huge mess in the process, and having a good time. They made enough to feed a whole tribe.

When they had finally gotten to the degustation phase, the Jason from this world appeared. Caleb ran to give him a hug and said excitedly:

“Daddy! other you made pancakes! I helped! Look! We drew smiley faces!”

Jason looked a bit perplexed before saying:

“That’s great Angel, I’m glad you had fun.”

“I’m gonna go brush my teeth now! Uncle Jaime said it’s very very important and he’s gonna be sad if I don’t do it! I don’t like when Uncle Jaime’s sad!” Caleb frowned at the thought of making anyone unhappy. 

“you can tell him you’ve been a good boy and listened to him when we see him this afternoon then, that will make him happy. “

“okay!”

He hopped away happily to the bathroom, while this world’s Jason came to sit down in front of his counterpart. 

“Thanks for taking care of breakfast, that gave me a bit more time to sleep. I don’t know why, but he’s been waking up earlier than usual for a while, and always really hyper.”

“really? He doesn’t do that in my world. Not yet at least. God I hope it lasts, I’m not ready to wake up this early every day. “

“I get that. But you get used to it eventually. Besides, he’ worth it.”

“yeah, of course he is. You know, he instantly knew I wasn’t you.”

“ really? That’s probably his powers warning him. “

“Yeah, probably. I kinda forgot this wasn’t my world for a while. Our lives are pretty similar to be honest. Well, except for the fact that you’re childhood best friends with Timmy and Jaime. That’s strange. “

His double just shrugged. 

“This is Dami and Bartie’s fault. or maybe it’s the Caretaker’s, but I don’t really want to give him credit for that.”

“Yeah, I gathered. That probably means you never tried to kill Tim, so point for you I guess.”

“I’m sorry what?”

“I had a rough couple of years after my resurrection. Went insane, you probably know all about it. Didn’t take too well to being replaced.”

“I see… and of course, you didn’t have Jaime to knock some sense into you early on.”

“he’s really helped you through a lot huh?”

“this punk has a thicker skull than both me and Tim combine, which is probably the only reason we’re still alive and functioning as we speak. He doesn’t take no for an answer when he knows we’re being stupid and possibly putting ourselves in harm. and you better believe he isn’t above kicking our ass to the curb if he thinks we deserve it. Well, mostly mine, he usually deals with Tim with a lot more patience.”

“he’s a good one. You were smart to keep him around.”

“Didn’t exactly have a choice, but thanks.”

“you know, it’s funny. I always thought that if I was ever to meet myself, I would probably hate the other me instantly. It probably says something about my self-esteem or whatever. But somehow I don’t hate you.”

“I feel honored. Right back at you. After all, I kinda have you to thank for who I became?”

“What do you mean?”

“When Damian came to the past, he did everything in his power to make sure I knew I deserved to be part of the family. He wanted me to be included, to know I was his brother no matter what. I’m pretty sure he did it mostly for you. To thank YOU for how YOU treated him. So in a way, the only reason I turned out mostly okay in the end and I managed to open up to people is that you were a great brother to him. He decided you were worth fighting for because you made sure he knew he was.”

“huh. I never thought of it like this before. Well I’m glad. It took a lot time for me to realize I deserved happiness, and if I managed to make it so your life was at least a tiny bit happier than mine, that’s a win in my book.”

“besides, no matter how hard the past was, we still both managed to end up here, with our little family. We did good Jay.”

“yeah,” Jason smiled at his counterpart, “we did good.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: the Dami throwdown lol


	5. Distorted Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Damian is not impressed with his doppleganger... until he kind of is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HIIIIII!  
> I'm already back, I know, shocking!  
> I just reallly wanted to write this lol.  
> Now real talk, this completely escaped me. I don't know what happened, but I blame Paradox Damian for everything. you'll see what I mean. Anyway this wasn't supposed to be as crack induced as it is, but if you've read Paradox, you know everything involving this Damian turns to crack very quickly.  
> Anyway I hope you enjoy! x

Damian was in a bad mood. Yes, I know, shocking. He just hated everything about this situation, and the last thing he wanted was to interact with his doppelganger. So, when he woke up, he decided to go for a run, which he usually did in the morning anyway, he had to maintain his outstanding physical condition after all. So he ran for about an hour or two. When he came back, he took a quick shower and stole some of his counterpart’s clothes begrudgingly , before going down for breakfast. He found his double, still in his pj’s (to his horror, he was wearing the fluffiest Hufflepuff jumper he had ever seen, had he no shame?) eating a bowl of cereals while scrolling through something on his phone, snorting once or twice when he found something funny. then, he started typing quickly, and when he was satisfied, he just hit send and put his phone down, an accomplished look on his face. His phone started buzzing incessantly, but he just chose to ignore it, happily focusing back on his breakfast.

“ what on Earth are you doing?” Damian finally asked, confused and already irritated by the buzzing noise.

“ What does it look like I’m doing? I’m eating, don’t you do that on your Earth?”

“Funny.”

“I know I am. If you must know, I was posting my morning tweet. If I don’t do it every morning, my followers riot.”

“… you have a twitter?”

“You don’t? wow, you’re even more lame than I thought. “

“And you’re brattier than I ever was, I don’t know how anybody puts up with you. “

“Pfft, everyone loves me, I’m the light of everyone’s life. What would they do without me? Who would provide the entertainment? You’re just jealous cause I’m better than you.”

“In your dreams maybe. I’m the original version after all. I literally created you, you owe me your life.”

“Ok Boomer.”

“You did not just say that.”

“I wouldn’t have had to if you didn’t talk like a grandpa. Seriously, do you never stop brooding? Is it your default mode? Like, I’m not the most sunshine and rainbows person out there, but your level of angst is exhausting. You should try scrapbooking. I personally find that artistic endeavors help my soul feel at peace.”

“ I… what?”

“Scrapbooking. I’m really good at it. I have more followers on pinterest than on Twitter, and I have a lot of followers on Twitter. “

“… What happened to you?”

“life? I don’t know what you mean.”

“You’re just… such a teenager!”

“Yeah, I am. So are you, we’re sixteen.”

“Actually, with the seven months I spent in the past, I’m closer to seventeen technically, but that wasn’t what I meant. You’re almost… normal.”

“I don’t get it, is that a bad thing or?”

“How can you be so normal if you’re me? “

“I’m not you. I’m me.”

“You know what I mean.”

“ Yes I do, and my answer is the same. I’m me. We started out the same, but then our lives took different turns. We are forged by our experiences, the shape who we are. We weren’t born with a scowl on our face, I’m pretty sure.”

“I guess… but still. We had the same crazy mother, the same villainous grandfather, we had the same ambitions thrust upon us. Yet, you turned out fine and I turned out broken.”

“You’re not broken.”

“I kind of am though.”

“You’re not. You were right about one thing, what you and Bart did when you went to the part helped create this version of me. Thanks to what you did, my brothers all instantly showered me with love and affection when I showed up, no matter how much of a demon child I was. They helped me grow . even father was really patient with me.”

“huh. I guess that probably helped.”

“It did. And it wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t been amazing first. You don’t seem to realize how much everyone who knew you and Bart back then put you guys on a pedestal. My Bart always felt grateful about that, but I have to admit I resented you for a while. I thought everyone would always be waiting for me to turn into you, that they only cared about me because I reminded them of a better version of me. But then I realized how stupid that was. Meeting Jon helped since he never knew you. It felt like a clean slate, even though I knew Kon was pushing us to meet for a reason. Anyway, I do owe you for a lot, and you’re not broken just because I’m slightly less damaged than you, stop putting yourself down. Confidence is key you know?”

“You seem to have taken that saying to heart.”

“I mean, let’s face it, I’m pretty great. I’m not saying I don’t have any insecurities, cause like, duh, I’m a teenager. But I’m choosing not to focus on them anymore. Also I don’t care about maintaining a cold façade anymore, it kinda went the window when I totally humiliated myself in front of Superman when I was just trying to ask Jon out. You can’t recover from that, and I’m not trying to. I embrace the fact that I’m a weird, disastrous mess of a human being. You should try it, it’s liberating.”

“you’re fascinating, in a horrifying way.”

“ Thanks, I try. Besides, you must be doing something right if you manages to date Jon.”

“Yeah, except I’m pretty sure he’s gonna break up with me.”

“he didn’t seem to want that yesterday.”

“He’s just nice. But he sent me a text saying he wanted to talk before this whole thing happened.”

“Last time he told me that he just wanted to tell me he wanted to adopt a new puppy and that I had to name him this time.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he’s a drama queen, everything has to be a big deal with him. I’m pretty sure you shouldn’t worry, especially after a year of dating.”

“uh…. A year?”

“Yeah, why?”

“My Jon and I have been dating for like, for years now. “

“…what? You were twelve! What the hell?”

“Well, when you know you know don’t you?”

“How did you know so quick?”

“I’m just very perceptive.”

“… Dick told you didn’t he?”

“…. Yeah.”

“Figures. He only told me at fifteen so it’s his fault I’m late compared to you.”

“It’s always Dick’s fault.”

“That’s the smartest thing you’ve said all morning.”

After saying that, this world’s Damian finally decided to check his phone again and see the responses to his tweet. His double finally sat down to eat, but as he was about to bite on his toast, something came to his mind that wouldn’t go away. He wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to talk about it, but figured he needed to get it out of his chest:

“What about Jake?”

“Who?” other him answered absentmindedly.

“Uncle Jake,” Damian tried again, even though the first answer gave him all he needed, he still wanted to be sure.

“Don’t know any Jake sorry, should I?”

He gulped, before answering:

“no, you really shouldn’t.”

His double looked at him curiously.

“Riiiight. Well that was fun, nice talking to you evil twin. I’m gonna go call Jonnie now, you should wake yours up, mine wants to go to the park and said I had to bring you guys so.”

“Ugh, do we have to?”

“I’m not dealing with the consequences of what will happen if you don’t come, so yes. Oh and put something more colorful on you heathen, I swear, it’s like you don’t know you’re allowed to wear something other than black. I have various colorful clothes, use them.”

“I won’t take fashion advice from you when you’re dressed like that.”

“What do you have against house pride?”

“What makes you think I’m not showing house pride right now? Black is part of the Hufflepuff colors.”

“you’re wearing colors and that’s it. Don’t defy me or I’ll call Jon down here right now. He’ll be on my side.”

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“Watch me.”

He did, in fact, involve Jon in this and managed to defeat his double who had to wear a red shirt because according to Jon, red looked really good on him.

They met up with the other Jon at the park, and he had brought his dog Krypto, which made his double squeal with glee and he made Damian promise that they would adopt a dog when they went back home. 

Damian could help but observe the other couple’s interactions, and wonder if it was what it was like to be on the outside looking it. Except, this Damian was a lot more comfortable initiating affection, even in public, like it was second nature to him, something he himself still struggled with a bit. It was easier with Jon than anyone else, but still.

As he was reflecting on this, he felt his Jon approach him and take his hand:

“You alright babe? You’ve been spacing out a lot today.”

“Yeah, I’m okay. I’m just thinking a lot.”

“About what?”

“Different things.”

“Good things?”

“Most of them are, I think. Hey Jon?”

“Yeah?”

“what did you want to tell me yesterday?”

“Oh, right! I was looking through my picture folder on my phone, and realized we didn’t have enough pictures of the both of us. And that’s a crime okay? I need more .”

Damian couldn’t help but chuckle with relief.

“That’s all?”

“it’s very important!”

“I didn’t say it wasn’t. okay, let’s take as many pictures as you want from now on. Anything for you.”

“I love you.”

“I love you to Jon, apparently in more worlds than one.”

Jon smiled at that and kissed him. Maybe this little trip wasn’t so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blblb I love my Damis I love them please I want them to be happy always! Paradox Damian is such an iconic king, I can't with him anymore, what happened to the Demon? where did he go?  
> Honestly he just took a life of his own and I didn't think they would be so different from one another but they are and that somehow makes sense?  
> yeah Idk  
> Anyway, next chapter: The subject everyone in the main timeline wants to talk about and everyone from Paradox would like to avoid....


	6. The One That Got Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick is trying to understand, and Conner reminisces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiya! missed me? probably not, it's getting old I'm posting too often lol.  
> AIt's just that I found a job and my vacations are nearly over so I'll be less available to write in a few days so I'm trying to anticipate for once lol.  
> Anywho here's a chapter on my favorite ship that wasn't meant to be, the one that got away if you will (lol see what I did there)  
> Enjoy! x

They’d all gathered at the manor again to try and figure out what they were supposed to do now that they were all in one world. As expected, having so many of them in one room was a mess, and they didn’t come up with a lot, but at least they seemed to all be getting along for now. Well, except for the fact that Conner couldn’t help but notice some tension between himself and Birdflash from the other world, which intrigued him. Wally kept looking at him suspiciously while Dick was literally looking at everything except him. he couldn’t really understand what he’d done to them exactly, and he had always been curious by nature, so when the meeting was paused for a while and he saw Dick go upstairs, he decided to follow him. it turns out that he had decided to go to his old room, or his counterpart’s old room in the manor, which hadn’t really changed since he had moved out. He looked around with curiosity and confusion, probably registering all the things that he didn’t recognize from his own past. He started looking at the framed pictures on the desk, and Conner knew exactly which one had caught his eyes. He took it in his hands to see it from up close, a look of complete bewilderment on his face. Conner finally decided to make his presence known:

“Careful with that, other you really like this one.”

Dick jumped at that and nearly let the frame fall.

“W... what are you doing here?”

“well, I came to ask you what you and your Wally’s deal was, but I think I can guess the answer now.”

“Can you?”

“Yeah, I guess you somehow learned about our romantic past in this world and that makes you uncomfortable.”

“…kinda, I mean, no offense, but I don’t see how in the world that could have happened. Not that you’re not attractive cause you are, but you’re…”

“I’m what?”

“… you’re Conner.”

_“So? You’re Conner.”_ He heard resonate in his head, finding it ironic how this Dick’s words echoed his counterpart’s.

“Well, I don’t know what you mean exactly, but it didn’t seem to bother the Dick Grayson from this world.”

“Just… how?”

“How what?”

“How? How did this happen? Why? “

Conner shrugged and came to sit on the bed while Dick stayed close to the desk, really uncomfortable in this environment while Conner felt right at home, which made sense in a weird way.

“Well let’s see. You were the first person I came out as pan to, and you decide to tell me your secret identity the same day. After that, we started flirting, a lot. It was subtle at first, just a bit of fun you know? But it just kept growing until we started fooling around every chance we got. It’s a miracle no one caught any of our make out sessions at the time”

“That’s…. not gonna lie, this sounds like something I would do.”

“Of course it does.”

“but what you’re describing sounds more like a casual thing, not actually dating for five years.”

“That’s because I didn’t want to admit I liked you more than I should. Not when I knew how you felt about Wally. And how he felt about you even though he was too stupid to realize it. To be honest I should have probably have put a stop to all of this before it was too late, but at least I made you happy and made you forget how heartbroken you were, so I felt like I was doing something right.”

“So what you’re saying is that I… he… kinda… used you? As a rebound or something?”

Conner shook his head.

“it wasn’t like that. Yes, he loved Wally and he couldn’t stop, but he still had feelings for me. He wouldn’t play with my feelings; I mean to much to him. just like your Kon means a lot to you.”

“I guess you’re right… so you started dating. And… it worked out well?”

“It did. We were happy.”

“But you still broke up. Why?”

“Because Wally woke up.”

“so he just dumped you when Wally realized his feelings?”

Conner smiled.

“You wish you were cool enough to dump someone like me Grayson. I did the dumping. Well it wasn’t really a dump, it was more me trying to make you agree that breaking up was what was best for everyone.”

“Was it though?”

“At the time, it was what was best for him, and for Walls. I’m not gonna lie to you and tell you I was fine instantly, I wasn’t. it took me a while to recover. But I did. And now I’m happy. Happier than I thought could ever be possible. “

“Happy with Tim.”

“as it should be, apparently. Wish Bart would have spoiled me about that one earlier, that would have made everything a lot easier.”

“probably yeah. it’s hard to wrap my head around all of this. I mean… I guess I just never thought about it before. But the more I hear you talk about it, the more it makes sense and honestly I think it’s even scarier this way. Also, at one point did the other me realize Tim’s feelings for you?”

“Oh, long after we stopped dating. The day I told him and Walls that I had moved on. It was a weird day. Coincidentally this is also the day Tim and I started dating.”

“Woah, sorry to tell you this but you lucked out on the Dick Grayson department, this one’s really dumb.”

“What do you mean?”

“I literally knew how Tim felt about you before he did. that shit was obvious. “

“Not to me it wasn’t.”

“and the other you had the audacity to call me oblivious. Unbelievable.”

“we’re both as bad as each other, let’s agree on that and move on.”

“yeah alright. Hey, Kon?”

“Yeah Dickie?”

“Do you think there’s a world somewhere in the multiverse where we end up together?”

He said this while looking back at the picture in his hand, a picture of Dick and Conner on Dick’s eighteen’s birthday.

Conner thought about it for a while.

“I’m pretty sure there is. I was in love you know? I never told him, because it would have devastated him not to be able to say it back, but I can tell you now without feeling guilty. I was in love with you Dickie. And I don’t regret any of what happened.”

Dick smiled sadly and came to sit next to Kon.

“ You know, I’m pretty sure he was a little bit in love with you too. Cause five years is an awfully long time to stay with someone without developing this kind of feelings.”

“Hm, maybe a bit. But not enough. Never as much as Walls.”

“That’s probably true. But then again, you also love Tim far more than you ever loved him don’t you?”

“yeah,” Conner answered without hesitation with a huge smile on his face, “yeah I do.”

“ Then everything I as it should be. And thank you Kon, no matter the world, you’re always there for me, and I’m glad to have you in my life.”

“I’m glad to have you in mine too. Now let’s go back to the others before they start wondering where we went.”

They went down, leaving the picture on the bed, with all of the past behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aw Kon finally abe to tell Dickie he was in love, he must feel so free now. I love Superdickie, I miss superdickie everyday 😥
> 
> Next Chapter: A bit of Superbird


	7. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim is insecure about the past and needs reassurance from his boyfriend's doppleganger, aka "not-Babe".  
> very loosely inspired by the song "Home" by SEVENTEEN (cause it's my favorite song ever thank you)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi There!  
> Now I know what you're thinking: "gee, she's still alive? I thought she died months ago". well guess what! I'm immortal and I'll always rise from the ashes!  
> okay for real though I had such a hard time writing during lockdown, too many people in my house at all times, I couldn't focus on anything. now lockdown is over in my country , but still It tooka while for me to get back on track. so I'm sorry, this chapter is very short but I'm back to a regular schedule, at least til september when I start a new job so I don't know about updates yet but I'll try to have at least two a month!  
> alright enjoy some Superbird!

After a rather unproductive meeting, Tim decided he would try and find some trace of the Caretaker. After all, it couldn’t be a coincidence that this multiverse bending event was happening right now. That could only mean that he was on the verge of making a move. So he was in the Batcave, doing as much research as he could, chugging gallons of coffee in the process since he was pretty sure he would be here for the rest of the day, possibly all night too. Not really something unusual for him of course.

He was trying to establish a behavioral pattern between all of the Caretaker’s recorded appearances throughout the centuries when he saw Conner approach from the corner of his eye. He made a small smile as he greeted him:

“Hey babe,” he said while still typing.

“not quite,’ Conner answered with an apologetic smile, and Tim understood it was his boyfriend’s doppelganger.

“My bad, didn’t check what you were wearing sorry. What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t feel like going back to my double’s place yet and sit in silence for hours. I used to love that, but ever since I started living with you, Jaime and Bart, it feels too odd not to be constantly surrounded by noise.”

“I see. How long have you been living with them?”

“it’s been four years now. But it’s soon just gonna be my Tim and I, since Jaime and Bart are engaged and looking for their own place right now.”

“oh, they are? Good on your world’s Jaime for not being a complete useless coward. Now that I think about it, if they really end up engaged in this world too, I’m gonna end up living alone. “

“You could always move in with your Kon. I gotta admit I was surprised to see you guys weren’t living together.”

“it’s not for a lack of trying on his part. I just didn’t feel like it was the right thing to do at the time.”

“and now?”

Tim stopped what he was doing on the computer and sighed.

“it’s not that I don’t want to move in with him, it’s just..; wow this is very strange talking to you about it.”

“I get you, but think of it that way: whatever you tell me consider it training for when you’ll end up talking to your Conner.”

“When you put it that way it sounds like a good idea.”

“I do get those sometimes.”

“I know. Well basically, I’m scared.”

“You’re scared of moving in with your boyfriend?”

“Not exactly… I’m scared of moving in with him in his current apartment.”

“Oh? Why?”

“it’s just… such a reminder of the past. It’s the placed he moved into all those years ago, when he was still dating Dick, and they shared so many memories in there and I guess I just… why are you looking at me like I just kicked you in the guts?”

“you… did you just say that he dated Dick?!”

“…Yes? For five years? “

“What the actual fuck?!”

“… ah. So you didn’t date my brother.”

“No! why would I do something like that! It’s Dick! Just thinking about it scares me to death!”

“…huh. Well you’re probably not gonna handle it well if I tell you you were one of those very envied couples with a loving and healthy relationship.”

“I… I would have been less shocked if you’d tell me I had had a fling with Jason. Now this puts all the times Dick called me daddy in perspective and I really didn’t want to think about that again.”

“I don’t think I want to hear about it either, that’s disturbing. Your Dick has issues.”

“Please don’t call him mine, I don’t claim him.”

“Fair enough.”

“but to go back to your problem, why don’t you just ask your Kon to move into a new apartment, one you choose together?”

“He loves his place; he feels happy there. I can’t ask him to give that up just because I feel insecure.”

“Yes you can. And he’ll understand where you’re coming from. His past is a part of him and will always be there, that’s for sure. But that doesn’t mean it has to continue to lead his whole life. You’re his future. It’s with you he’s wanting to go forward. And I’m sure he wouldn’t mind starting over somewhere new as long as you’re with him. you don’t give yourself enough credit. I don’t know what on Earth happened between him and Dick, but I know he loves you now. And he just wants to share a life with you.”

“… you really think so?”

“I know so. I’d make any compromise for my Tim as long as I get to wake up next to him every morning. I don’t really care where we live, it doesn’t matter. My home is him, so wherever he is, I’ll feel like I’m iin the right place.”

“… crap don’t make me emotional I’m sleep deprived.”

Conner chuckled.

“you’re always sleep deprived. You’ll talk to him right? Don’t let your insecurities deprive you of a life I know you’re craving.”

“yeah, I will. Thanks not-babe”

“You’re welcome. Now tell me about what you’re working on, I need a distraction to stop thinking about me and Dick together.”

Tim rolled his eyes but started explaining his research anyway. Conner gave him a lot of insight and with the two of them working together, they got a lot more done than Tim would have hoped. It seemed no matter the dimension, they made a good team.

Tim decided to take Conner back to his doppleganger’s apartment, and took this opportunity to have a conversation with his boyfriend while the other Conner distracted his own Tim and got him out of the place with a promise of iced coffee.

“ what was so urgent that you had to make me move? I was having a nice chat with other you! He doesn’t know how to react when I flirt with him it’s hilarious.”

“You’re terrible, you know that? And him and other you needed to have a chat, I just made sure they got the privacy they needed.”

“what do they need privacy for? We’re them!”

“believe me, we’re not. I would never in a million years date Dick.”

“… I beg your pardon?”

“yeah, apparently I dated your brother for five years! Who does that? Dumb people that’s who! And Babs, but Im sure she would agree this was the dumbest mistake of her life.”

“I… I’m speechless.”

“and I’m disturbed. Just the thought of it…ugh.”

“… you know what? I can see it.”

“What do you mean?! Are you insane?!”

“No but listen. You always had a soft spot for each other. You don’t want to admit it but it’s true. You have a way of understanding each other even without words, and you always make sure to take care of each other in subtle ways. Your affection for each other has never been as showy as other friendships, but it’s there and it’s honestly very soft. So I can see how under the right circumstances, you might have ended up developing those kind of feelings for each other.”

“… I hate that it makes sense, it’s not supposed to make sense. I’m supposed to be completely disgusted by the idea. “

“It’s okay, I don’t mind you having dated my brother in an alternate universe. As long as I got you in the end, it’s all good. I’ll still have to threaten Dick to stay away from my man though, that’s an opportunity I can’t miss, it’s not every day you can live a real life Soap Opera. “

“Why do I love you so much?”

“dark magic, obviously. Now buy me an iced Americano, you promised.”

“fine, I’ll feed your caffeine addiction once again,” he relented, giving him a kiss.

He thought back to what he said to the other Tim. It was true, even in this world that wasn’t theirs, with his boyfriend by his side, he felt right at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly this was not supposed to go this way at all but what can you do? Tim is a precious bean and I love how Kon is in denial about possibly being able to be attracted to Dick, his gay panic (more like pan panic, lol a PANic if you will I'm so funny !) was my favorite thing to write in a long time!  
> Next chapter: probably Bart. very likely.


	8. Team Spirit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barts dealing with hero complexes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I don't have a lot to say in the notes today since I already posted not so long ago, just maybe check out the new work I just posted? yeah anyway enjoy this healthy little dose of Bartsquare! xxx

“Hey Bart?”

“Yes Bart?”

“Why is there a sword on the living room table?”

The Bart from this world shrugged while turning his omelette in the frying pan before answering:

“I got back from sword practice with Dami and forgot to put it away. Thanks for telling me by the way, it drives Jaime mad when we leave weapons around. He had enough of that with Tim but now that I started doing it too he’s slowly losing it.”

The other Bart frowned.

“Why do you practice sword fighting?”

“because of you duh.”

“I beg your pardon? I’ve never had a single lesson in my life!”

“Yet you’re the one who fought a dark wizard with a magic sword. “

“Technically, I had Hecate in my head to guide me so it doesn’t count.”

“Yeah, well, Bruce figured it didn’t hurt to practice a bit. You know, for when the Caretaker comes back and try to destroy our lives.”

“Oh, you mean right now?”

“yeah…”

Bart split his omelette in half and shared it with his counterpart who thanked him before continuing the conversation:

“You know, it wasn’t my great skills in the art of sword fighting that helped me with the Caretaker. After all, it’s when I used my own powers that I managed to escape his telekinetic grip and sneak attack him. but mostly what helped was the fact that I wasn’t alone.”

“I see. What are you trying to tell me?”

“Just… it’s good that you’re learning a new skill, and it will probably come in a handy. But sometimes… you and I are so used to have to handle everything, that we forget we don’t have to do it anymore. If we’re going to win this fight, we’re going to have to work all together, I have no doubt about that. “

“Oh… I guess you’re right. I think… I think I hears so many things about how you were such a hero, how everybody looked up to you. They made you sound like some kind of invincible being. I felt like… Like I had to become that image. That I had to become the strong, amazing fighter who could save everyone he loves all by himself. That everything was resting on my shoulders and if I were to become you, I had to try harder.”

The other Bart grimaced.

“I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have had to live trying to become what others thought you already were. Especially since I never was that person. The team probably told you I had taken on the Caretaker all by myself, but that’s not even close to the reality. He kidnapped me, they all came to save me. then Hecate was with me, and while I fought the Caretaker, Megan did the real heroic thing, saving everyone else from his spell. It’s never a one-man job. Everyone needs a hero, even heroes, so sometimes, they put other people on a pedestal and forget about their own accomplishments. The truth is, you’re only as good as your team makes you. It’s being part of something great that pushes you to become greater and greater yourself.”

“You’re right… well there goes my dream of becoming a knight!” he joked, and his counterpart answered:

“Nah, you can still become one, just don’t forget to have other knights back you up. And wizards and witches of course.”

“I’ll keep that in mind. Nice ring by the way.”

His counterpart smiled.

“I was wondering if you’d notice or not.”

“it’s hard to miss. How long?”

“A few weeks.”

“Congrats. My Jaime’s trying to propose too but he’s having the worst luck.”

His counterpart started laughing.

“and you’re not putting him out of his misery?”

“Nah, it’s way too funny to see, especially when he keeps getting roasted by Tim every time.”

“You’re evil.”

“Takes one to know one. Don’t worry, if this continues, I’ll help him get through it. Eventually.”

“Are you happy? That he wants to propose I mean.”

“Of course I am, I’ve always known I would marry him ever since we started dating. Cheesy but it’s true.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t like that at all. I was insecure as heck when we started dating. I truly thought I couldn’t be this lucky and something was gonna happen that would ruin everything. I got over it eventually but… yeah.”

“that’s kinda depressing. I don’t know if it’s because we started dating really young and I had all this teenage fantasies and hopes going into it, but I never really doubted myself in our relationship. I was insecure about a lot of things, but not this.”

“Funny. everyone keeps saying we’re completely identical people compared to all the other doubles, but when you scratch the surface, we did take different routes to get to where we are and that shows.”

“True. This doesn’t change the fact that we’re both awesome though.”

“that’s a fact. Although I do have to say I make better omelettes than you.”

“You take that back!”

“Make me number 2!”

The rest of the morning was spent with friendly bickering at the speed of light, and when this world Tim and both Jaimes finally made it to the kitchen, they couldn’t help but wonder how in the hell they were supposed to deal with two of them. It was double the storm, but also double the sun, and they couldn’t complain about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not exactly how I had planned this chapter to go but oh well.  
> next chapter: plot heavy


	9. Starfall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the team confronts the Caretaker

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR!  
> Ok so. I have some groveling to do. I am so sorry I disappeared for I don't know how many month. 2020 was a weird year for everyone, and I wasn't an exception. so many things happened, some good, some bad, and I found it so difficult to write this fic, especially this cursed chapter that I started like 6 months ago or something ( I'm bad at math ) and I honestly don't really think I managed to write it the way I wanted.but I tried really hard and I hope you like it. warning: it's a sad one.

Deep down, they knew it was only a matter of time until the Caretaker would notice what was happening, but it still took them by surprise how fast he did.

Wally and Jason from this world ended up being the first one to encounter him as they had accompanied Amy who was following a lead that would bring her to an oracle. They managed to escape, although Wally took a serious hit.

This convinced them all that they couldn’t just wait for the Caretaker to strike anymore. They had to go on the offensive, and quick. With double the usual force, they might stand a chance against the wizard and his cult. Therefore, they resolved to attack the very next day, living the injured Wally under the watchful eyes of Bruce and Alfred who were looking after Caleb and Lian as a precaution.

While everyone was suiting up, Bart stood a bit away from the crowd with Amy who was nervously adjusting her all new costume. This would be the first time she operated as Starfall, her chosen alter-ego.

“How are you feeling Ames?” Bart asked .

“Like I’m gonna throw up” she answered honestly.

“it’s going to be okay, you’ve been training hard for this, and you’re ready . “

“I don’t know… I never thought I’d have to do that one day, that I’d have to become a guardian, a hero… I don’t know if that’s something I’m ever gonna be good at. “

“why wouldn’t you be? You’re fierce, brave and one of the kindest people I know. Plus, you’ve got pretty awesome powers which helps.”

“I guess you’re right, but…. When I look at all of you, with your head in the game, the confidence you convey, I’m having a hard time even looking at you because you’re all so bright and majestic… I’m not like that. There’s nothing special about me. I’m don’t have that spark that you all seem to possess. That spark even Nate possesses, I wish I could trade place with him, I know he’d love the opportunity…. “

Bart stayed silent for a moment, before taking the domino mask Amy had in her hands and looking at it as he said:

“All of this, the confidence, the grandiose appearance, it’s all part of the show. This has nothing to do with getting the job done. Superman isn’t a hero because he’s wearing bright colors and has amazing powers that almost make him a god on earth, he’s a hero because, when faced with injustice and hopelessness, he chooses to act in the interest of the helpless. That spark you talked about doesn’t have anything to do with being extraordinary beings, that spark is humanity, in its purest form. Fragile, flawed, treacherous, yet beautiful humanity. See how Dick is humming under his breath, how Jason and Roy are bickering? See how Wally’s cracking jokes? See how everyone is trying to lighten the atmosphere in the face of potential doom? It’s not confidence or fearlessness, it’s knowing you’re going straight into the lion’s den and you don’t know what the outcome might be, but not letting that bring you down. it’s putting a mask on, and giving it the power to inspire not only the people that need saving, but yourself to.”

He then placed the mask on Amy’s face, and smiled:

“ there, now it’s perfect. And last thing: your mask can inspire you, but don’t forget that the mask wouldn’t even exist if you weren’t there. You’re the one bringing it life. You both depend on each other, and as long as one doesn’t overpower the other, everything will be fine.”

“I hope you’re right… thank you Bart. Not only for right now, but for all you’ve done for me since we’ve met. You don’t even know how much you’ve helped… When Hecate died, I shut down completely for a while. I managed to go back to being something mostly resembling a human being through the years, but it never felt like I was truly there… I just went through life as a sort of spectator of my own existence. I had no agency, no idea of where I was going or why. But then you appeared and you turned my life upside down and you opened my eyes to a world of possibilities I couldn’t have even imagined and I just… thank you, Bart Allen, for allowing me to live.”

“My dear Amelia Hope, it’s a pleasure and a privilege to be part of your life. Now, ready to face the music, Starfall? “

“Can’t say I was born ready, but I got there in the end didn’t I? “

Amy took the arm that Bart was offering her and let him lead her to the rest of the team.

And so they went to face the enemy, with no guaranty of success but a lot of hope.

The fight was tough. While they had the element of surprise on their side, the Caretaker and his goons seemed even more powerful than in the original Bart and Damian’s memories. Even stranger, the Caretaker seemed to hold a personal grudge against Bart, which made no sense since he wasn’t the version that took a beating from him. as both Bart tried to hold off his vicious attacks though, they quickly realized how overpowered they were. As he started choking them with his mind, he looked alternately at both of them, seemingly trying to determine something. He finally managed to find what he was looking for as he sent the Bart from this world flying untl he slammed hard against a wall and focused on the other one.

“I told you I would make you pay for this, and here we are now Mr. Allen.”

Bart looked at him confusedly but couldn’t talk because of the choking.

“you might be wondering why I remember our last encounter when it didn’t happen to this version of me. Simple. I did a little merging with my other self. You’re not the only one who’s testing the double trouble method. It wasn’t easy to convince my other self, but the prospect of finally achieving our goals was to good to pass up. And now, I’m even more powerful than ever. You really should’nt have pissed me off.”

Bart would have snorted at the very cliché and overdone villain monologue, but he couldn’t even breathe at the moment so that would have to wait.

“ I wanted you to be the first one to die. Don’t worry, I’ll reserve the same treatment to your double, and then to the rest of your little friends? But I want you to go first, knowing you’ve failed and there’s no hope left . “

“ No Hope huh? Now you’re just asking for it.”

Amy, armed with Καταιγίδα, had just gone through the circle of the Caretaker’s servant that was supposed to make sure no one interrupted their overlord while he taunted his enemy, and was now standing tall and proud in front of her ancestral foe.

“Ah, little Hope! How nice of you to join us! Did you come to watch this pathetic excuse for a hero die? “

Amy didn’t dignify that with a response, choosing instead to use her powers to free Bart from the hold of the Caretaker, a task that took a lot of energy out of her, while the villain, amused, watched her struggle. She did manage to do it in the end, probably because the Caretaker didn’t see the point in wasting his own energy on this. she did prove herself to be a nuisance after all, even though she wasn’t yet as powerful as he himself was.

“What a shame Little Hope, you could have escaped this fate, you could have survived your foolish family and lived a good life away from all of this, but you had to ally yourself to those misguided fools.”

As he started circling around her in a very predatory manor, she stood her guard, focused and determined. He continued:

“it’s not too late for you. You can forget this whole ordeal, turn around and keep on living. think of your family, would they want you to throw your life away this way?”

Amy’s face contorted with rage.

“ you mean the family you butchered? Unfortunately, I can’t very well ask them right now can I?”

“are you that eager to join them then?”

“I’m eager to finish what they started. I am the last guardian, and I’ll make sure my ancestors’ oath wasn’t in vain. Now stop staling and fight me already.”

Bart could only watch in fascination and horror as the duel started. Amy put up a fierce fight, using every trick and spells she’d learned over the years, coupled with the sword. But no matter how powerful she had become, it was clear she was no match for the ancient sorcerer. He finally managed to subdue her, tying her with magical restraint before taking the sword at her feet.

“Thanks for that darling, it’s just what I needed. It will be so poetic to kill the speedster with that cursed sword. And you can watch too! After all, my victory wouldn’t be complete if there wasn’t a Hope to see me win!”

With that said, he made his way to where Bart was still having a hard time trying to find the strength to stand. Bart looked around to see if there was a chance of him getting any assistance, but he found that the team was slowly but surely getting overrun. It seemed that the enemy kept coming, and no end was in sight. He saw his double try to run to him only to be stop by two warriors. He searched for Jaime who was fighting back to back with Tim. at least he wouldn’t see the scene unfold. As the Caretaker brandished his sword, Bart closed his eyes, and silence took over his mind. Silence, and peace. It was unfair, that he had to go this way, but when he thought of all the extraordinary thing he’d experienced in the past few years, he could honestly say that he wouldn’t trade any of them for a better end. 

He heard someone scream his name and recognized Damian’s voice, but he wasn’t brave enough to open his eyes to face him. it would be over soon anyway. any second now.

Any second now.

Any second….

It seemed like time wasn’t working anymore, or maybe he’d entered flash time without meaning to, because the second wouldn’t come. He was starting to grow impatient, and wasn’t that ironic? Finally, he opened his eyes. he wished he hadn’t.

_To be quite honest, I always knew it would come down to this. No matter what, it was always going to get to this point; it was always going to be Bart or me._

He wasn’t met by the menacing figure of the Caretaker, but but by the angelic face of his dear friend, tears running down her face.

_Yet even now, as the end is near, I don’t regret anything. I don’t regret meeting him, befriending him and having him in my life, having him become part of my family and him welcoming me into his._

“A…Amy…” Bart managed to stutter out.

Amy looked at him with her big doe eyes, before closing them as she started shining as bright as the sun, burning just as hot. The subsequent wave was enough to send the Caretaker flying in an agonizing scream, as he got severely burned in the face in the process.

_I remember him telling me I was going to do great things, things that mattered a lot more than I even realized. And he was right._

Bart watch in awe as his friend seemed to be ascending into another plane of existence. She seemed almost untouchable, unreal at this very moment. The wave managed to take down a big majority of the Caretaker’s goon.

_Today I’m going to save the world._

It was almost surreal, as if Bart was dreaming. He wasn’t exactly sure he wasn’t dead and hadn’t imagined what just happened.

_Today I’m going to save Bart Allen._

Amy finally exhausted her energy, and the brightness dissipated. Her face which had looked almost other worldly a second ago, got back to her usual kind, cute and innocent look. Except she looked pale. So pale, unnaturally pale, especially for a mixed-raced girl like herself. While Bart was fixated on her face, she looked down on herself. Bart followed her gaze and he saw. The sword. In the middle of her chest.

_Today I’m going to die, and he’s going to live._

“No…”

“Bart…. Hey, Bart, it’s okay….”

“No… you can’t… it wasn’t supposed to go like this, you weren’t supposed to…”

Amy fell to her knees, and Bart took her face in his hands.

“Stay with me Ames, we’re going to get you help.”

“No use… Bart, it’s not over… he’s wounded, but he’s… he won’t stop… he won’t… Caleb, you need to…

“save your strength, we’ll talk about it later.”

“No, Bart , you…. You need to promise me… please promise me you won’t let him get Caleb… please…”

“of course I won’t, you have my word… please don’t go…”

“ the sword… the sword will help… it’s even more powerful now because… because of me… “

“Don’t…”

“I’m sorry Bartie… I’m so sorry… I had to you know? No hard feelings? And… please tell Nate… he’s never been good with grief so he… he will… please tell him I’m sorry too…”

Bart couldn’t even talk anymore; he was sobbing too hard. Amy tried to wipe away his tears and soothe him.

“Don’t cry… your Amy’s still alive in your world… and she’ll be safe…. She’ll be safe as long as you end this now… she’ll be happy… “

“but you deserve to be happy too…”

“I am…“ she replied with a smile.

_Despite it all, I’m smiling. It was always going to be him or me. And I would always choose him. I’m happy._

“ I’ll tell Hecate you said hi,” she added. And those were her very last words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so... yeah. lemme know what you thought of that. unfortunately for our heroes, this isn't the end of the Caretaker. next chapter will be the last one he appears in though. I think this fic is nearing its end, I don't envision myself writing more than four or five chapters . and this will mean the end of this series as a whole. not to worry though, I have a very good idea of what I'm gonna write next! 
> 
> Next Chapter: round 2


	10. The Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> dealing with loss and the end of the fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hiiii! Yoi have no idea how happy I am that this chapter is finally over! it was a bitch to write!  
> I hope you like it xxx

Bart couldn’t tell you how long he stayed there paralyzed with the lifeless body of Amy in his arms. It could have been seconds; it could have been years. All he knew was that Damian was the one to take him out of his stupor.

“Bart, I know it’s hard, but you need to snap out of it. It’s not over, and we need you.”

Bart shook his head, not wanting to face reality that was presented to him.

“please Bart, the Caretaker’s gone, we need to find him before he’s able to do more damages. “

But Bart couldn’t think straight. All he could think was that everything was his fault. Amy’s death was on him. he’d fail. Eventually, his double was the one to get through to him. he came to kneel next to him, putting a hand on Amy’s head, looking even more distraught than the other Bart, which was normal after all. This was his world, and he’d lost his Amy. He gulped, pale like a ghost, and said:

“you made her a promise. You told her you’d finish what she started. You ain’t turning your back on that promise now you hear me? Come on, get up, I’ll carry her.”

And well, he couldn’t very well refuse that could he? He took a deep breath and got up, stumbling a bit as he was still weakened by the fight. Damian was at his side almost instantly, making sure he wouldn’t fall.

He looked around. Most of the team looked various degrees of bruised and beaten, but no one looked incapacitated at least.

“what do we do now?” one of the Conners asked.

“we need to strike back as soon as possible,” Tim answered, “the Caretaker has taken a huge blow, it might be the only chance we have of beating him for good.”

“we have to find him first,” Dick reminded, “I think we should go back to the manor and see where we go from there.”

“what do we do about the sword?” Jaime added timidly.

Bart looked down where the sword was still on the ground, and he couldn’t bear to pick it up. But, as if it knew they were talking about it, the sword suddenly teleported from the ground to Jason’s hands. He looked at it surprised and a little spooked. Bart allowed himself a small, barely there smile and muttered.

“Figures… the sword wants to protect Caleb, so it’s gone to his father.”

“…the fuck am I supposed to do with a magic sword? Shouldn’t it go to someone who actually knows what they’re doing?” Jason wondered, perplexed.

“You know,” Roy answered helpfully “it’s our son, no one can protect him better than you can. Trust that.”

Jason nodded slowly. Then, out of nowhere, a beeping noise emerged from this world’s Tim pocket.

“… A distress call. From the manor. He’s found him.”

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as they noticed the manor was being invaded, Bruce had instructed a still weakened Wally to take Caleb and go. He knew, realistically, that he wouldn’t be able to keep the Caretaker at bay for too long alone, but he hoped it would be enough time for the reinforcement to arrive.

Wally took Caleb to the Batcave and closed all access. Then, he crouched down to Caleb’s level, and started trying to soothe him.

“It’s gonna be okay little man, you’re gonna be just fine you hear me?”

Caleb looked at him with his big blue innocent eyes, but strangely, he didn’t look as afraid as Wally would have thought him to be.

“I know. I’m a bit scared, but you’re here to protect me, so I’m ok”.

Wally was left gobsmacked by the level of faith the child had in him.

“You’re amazing kiddo, you know that?”

Caleb shrugged, just as the armored door started shaking. He recoiled at the loud sound and inadvertently squeezed Wally’s arm.

“Grandpa Brucie is gonna be mad if someone breaks his door…” he mumbled to himself, and had the situation been less dire, Wally would have probably laughed.

Instead, he took a deep breath and stood tall, trying to look a lot more threatening than he felt at that very moment.

“Stay behind me Cal, I won’t let him take you, I promise. “

The door finally broke under The Caretaker’s spells, and as soon as he saw him, Wally could tell he’d lost what semblance of mind he still possessed. He looked agitated, desperate, and all the more dangerous for it. It was clear he had take quite the beating, as he was very obviously wounded, and Wally decided to use that to his advantage to try and buy some time.

“Not looking so hot are you pal?”

Wally could see the rage flash in his eyes, before he answered through gritted teeth

“It doesn’t matter now, it’s over, and she can’t stop what’s going to happen. Neither can you, but I’m guessing you’re going to try anyway.”

“You would be right about that.”

The Caretaker rolled his eyes, then turned his attention to Caleb who was half hiding behind Wally. He gave him a big, wolfish smile and said:

“You wouldn’t want anything to happen to your uncle Wally, right Caleb? Ow you see, I am a very determined man, and I won’t leave without you, and I will crush anything that stands in my way. So you have a choice. You can let Wally get hurt, or you can come with me. What do you say?”

Caleb frowned, and Wally saw red.

“Don’t you dare even speak to him you piece of shit! You’re the one who’s gonna get his ass whooped ‘til next Sunday!”

Wally charged at full speed, but the Caretaker was ready for that ad managed to deflect, hitting Wally with a red beam. It didn’t deter the speedster, who got up with difficulty, and started avoiding the curses thrown at him.

Resistance was futile however, as he was in no condition to put up a real fight. The Caretaker ended up with his feet on Wally’s chest, crushing his thorax.

“Did you change your mind Caleb? “ He asked casually.

Caleb trembled, his eyes fixated on Wally. He opened his mouth to answer, but at the same time, a huge lightning bolt appeared just in front of him, at was quickly replaced by Jason with the sword in hand, looking ready to kill which, admittedly, he probably always was.

Wally took advantage of the Caretaker’s sudden surprise to phase out and use what little energy he had left to run back to Caleb and taking him in his arms to shield him.

“ you gonna be okay there Jay?”

“Don’t worry about me. Make sure Caleb can’t see anything though.”

Wally shuddered, not really sure he wanted to know exactly how far Jason was going to go, not that he could find it in him to really be opposed to it right now when Caleb’s life was at stake.

“You think you can succeed where far more powerful people than you have failed? Don’t lie to yourself son.”

The Caretaker had tried to go for confidence, but you could see in his eyes he was actually scared seeing the sword in Jason’s hands. He’d already been weakened by Amy’s last act of heroism, and he could feel how powerful the sword had become.

“They might have been more powerful, but I’m ruthless, and I think you realize it too. Why would you have tried to get rid of me when I was a child otherwise? You’re not taking my kid. I’ll make an example out of you for anyone who would try to come for my family.”

The Caretaker didn’t respond, instead conjuring a sword and charging at Jason.

Watching Jason fight was a sight to behold. Like he’d said, he was ruthless, and very aggressive, but while his opponent seemed more and more consumed by madness every second, Jason was calculated and cunning. His rage was cold, controlled, like a storm stuck in an iceberg. This wasn’t Redhood Wally was seeing taking on this threat, but Jason Todd, the father. And while rage was obviously present, it was clear he was motivated by love above all else. It was clear that Caleb was his fuel.

It didn’t surprise Wally at all, therefore, when he managed to take his opponent down. 

There the Caretaker was. Utterly defeated, no more fight in him, barely able to move. Jason didn’t go easy on him that was for sure.

“Tell me, was it worth it?” he asked as he used his sleeve to wash off the blood from the blade. “ centuries of terror and abominable crimes, and where did all of this lead you? To me. I probably shouldn’t , but I’m gonna take great pleasure In seeing you die. And I hope you know, not only have I defeated you, she has too. You lost the moment Amy died. So really, was it worth it?”

The Caretaker seemed to want to answer, but coughed out blood instead.

“Pathetic. You will die just as you lived, as a pathetic, scared little man who’s not even powerful enough on his own to take over the world. Farewell, Caretaker, I’ll see you in hell.”

Jason brandished the sword up in the air, ready to give the final blow, but he heard a small voice In his head:

‘ _He’s scared. Don’t hurt him anymore daddy please, he’s so scared, and he’s hurting.’_

Jason closed his eyes and sighed, before answering out loud:

“He’s dangerous Angel. I can’t let him go, he would come back and hurt you. I can’t let anyone hurt you, you understand that right?”

‘ _It will hurt me if you do this. Please daddy don’t hurt him anymore’_

Then he added out loud:

“He needs a hug.”

Jason opened his eyes wide as Caleb disentangled himself from Wally’s grip to run towards his father and the Caretaker. Jason wanted to keep him from approaching the villain, but he suddenly couldn’t move, like he’d been paralyzed.

Caleb sat next to the barely conscious figure of the Caretaker and put his hand on his forehead.

“ you’re really mean” he said in a soft voice. “ and you’ve hurt lots of people. And now you’re hurt, and it’s all your fault, but I feel bad for you. I don’t like when people get hurt, even you. I hope you get better soon.”

Then, he hugged the villain, and all of a sudden a blinding light emanated from them, and Jason thought for a second that that was it, the Caretaker had managed to take Caleb away. But as the magic filled the room, he realized it didn’t feel threatening. It felt familiar and soothing. It felt like Caleb.

The light dissipated, and there was Caleb, holding onto a… baby?

“Did… did your son just turned a homicidal megalomaniac into a new born? “ Wally asked, flabbergasted.

“I… Caleb, what in the heavens…”

“He was a mean adult. Now he can learn to be a nice person again. He’ll get nice parents that can teach him how to be nice and good, like you and daddy Roy did for me.” Caleb explained as if it made all the sense in the world.

Not really knowing what to say, Jason just got to his son, and Caleb just handed him the baby expectantly. He reluctantly took him in his arms,. He looked at his small face, maybe expecting to see evil incarnate engraved on it, but it wasn’t the case. He ust looked like, well, a baby. Finally, not able to control it anymore, Wally burst out laughing:

“Why am I surprised, but also not at all by this outcome? Oh my Lord that’s so precious! “

Jason was about to reply, when a panicked, out of breath Roy entered the room.

“Jay! Cal! Are you o… what the fuck Jason?”

“Language!” Jason and Caleb answered at the same time.

Roy frowned, before saying, pointing to Jason and Wally:

“You guys have some explaining to do”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaah we're finally done with the Caretaker! also how cute and precious is Caleb? I love him so much ugh. and Jason is the best dad knight ever, Lian will be so proud of him! 
> 
> next chapter: the aftermath and return to status quo?


	11. Care Taking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it's time to recover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaah I'm back so sooooooon!  
> I'm trying to end this story as soon as possible because I'm very anxious to start something new, plus now that all of the action is done, it practically writes itself!   
> Hope you enjoy! xxxx

After having taken the time to recover (some, like Bruce or Wally, needing way more care than others), they all finally got a chance to sit down and listen to the tale of the Caretaker’s demise. No one could quite make sense of what had happened, and they didn’t know how to deal with having a supervillain baby on their hands. They figured that it could wait for one more day, as they all needed to rest.

Jaime volunteered to take care of the baby for the time being, which Roy and Jason were very grateful for, not really wanting to have him too close to Caleb, no matter how innocent he looked at the moment.

While everyone in the team agreed in theory that no one was born a monster, Jaime was the only one to have actual first-hand experience on the subject, and a part of him felt a sense of kinship with the baby in that sense.

That sense didn’t keep him from being really frustrated right now as the baby refused to drink his bottle.

“Apparently, you’re just as stubborn no matter your age, aren’t you Niño?”

The baby made a sort of huffing noise as a response, and Jaime sighed.

“You’ll wear him down eventually,” he heard Bart’s voice behind him, “you’ve always been really good with stubborn little devils.”

“I guess you’re right” he answered, leaning into the kiss Bart gave him on the cheek before sitting next to him.

They stayed in silence for a while, Jaime still trying and failing to feed the baby. He looked at Bart after the silence started feeling heavy, and saw that his eyes were glued to the baby, in a quizzical, perplexed way.

“You okay Corazón?”

Bart looked like he was about to answer, but seemed to think against it at the last second, and sighed. The silence was back for a while, before Bart finally felt like talking:

“I want to accept this. To think of this baby as a totally different person, to consider the Caretaker as dead. I really want to be okay with the outcome, but…”

“But you can’t, because you’re grieving. “

“…I guess…. I just… how is that fair? He gets to start over, to live a new life without the burden of all the pain he’s caused, and Amy…. Amy doesn’t. “

“It’s not. Fair, I mean. And no one would can blame you for being upset.”

“I’m blaming myself. He’s an infant, I shouldn’t resent a baby. “

“You can still resent the adult. “

“He doesn’t even exist anymore. It’s just… it’s going to take some getting used to, is all.”

He looked down on his hands. Apparently, the baby had decided to grab one of his fingers with his tiny hands, and no matter how many contradicting feelings he had at the moment, that was absolutely adorable. He gave a tiny smile, before reality struck him again.

“I have to go talk to Nate…”

“Oh…”

“It’s going to destroy him. Don’t know if… I don’t know if I’m gonna be able to see that.”

“Want me to go with you?”

Bart thought about it for a second.

“… No. I have to do this by myself, I think.”

“Alright, if you say so. I’ll be there when you get back, okay love?”

“I know” Bart smiled, “and aren’t I the luckiest man in the world? “ he added while playing with something o his finger. A ring. Wait, what?

“Where did you…”

“You left it on the bedside table the other day. I was starting to get tired of waiting, and I figured you might take the hint this way. It still took you three whole days, you’re unbelievable.”

“You… I’m the unbelievable one? “

Bart laughed, before kissing Jaime.

“I love you. We’ll talk about all of this later, fiancé of mine.”

“I…yeah, later…”

And with that, Bart left. When he reported his attention to the baby, Jaime realized that he was now sucking on the bottle.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Say aaaah”

“Stop it, you’re embarrassing.”

“And you need to eat your soup.”

Wally sighed. He didn’t know who thought it would be a good idea to have Roy take care of him while he recovered. All the Robins had gone to do one last wipe out of the Caretaker’s cult, and for some reason Dick had insisted that someone needed to babysit Wally. Wally had argued of course, but Dick had reminded him that the last time he’d left him unsupervised while injured, he had decided to use his speed to go get snacks at the grocery store and had passed out the moment he’d returned. Which, okay, that might have been true, but in his defense, he’d been delirious due to a spell at the time.

“I can very well eat my soup on my on, my hands are still functioning perfectly, thank you very much.”

“That may be, but I’m determined to milk this situation for all its worth, and your humiliation is my greatest joy. Now say aaah”

Wally sighed but obliged.

“ Good boy. “

“I despise you.”

“No you don’t. how are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve been trampled by a group of elephants, twice.” He mumbled before accepting another spoonful of soup.

“Apparently this hasn’t affected your dramatic personality, thank God for that.”

“Why are you so mean to me?”

“Cause I’m about to be really sappy and say a lot of meaningful nice shit about you, I need to kick you down a bit before so you don’t let it get to your head.”

“What do you mean?”

“You protected my son, it nearly cost you your life. “

Wally frowned.

“Well of course I did, any of us would have. It’s literally our job, plus it’s Caleb we’re talking about, like I was gonna let anything happen to him on my watch.”

“Still, you were the one to do it, so thank you, Walls. I’m glad to have someone like you in my life.”

“shut the fuck up Harper, I don’t want to hear it from you. You only say thank you when someone’s about to die, and I’m pretty sure I’m not dying. Am I? do you know something I don’t?”

“This is why we can’t have nice things. I just want to show you I appreciate you? Is that too much to ask that you take the freaking compliment?”

“Yes it is. That’s not how it works, you’re supposed to make fun of me constantly. That’s how this relationship works, you’re the older brother who loves nothing more than to tease his little sibling. “

“I mean, you’re fun to tease, that’s for sure. And you are my little bro, always been. I’ve been trying to convince everyone that we were biologically related for years. Anyway, all this to say, I love you Walls.

“OH MY GOD YOU DID NOT”

“I ABSOLUTELY DID AND I’M NOT TAKING IT BACK!”

“FUCK YOU HARPER YOU’RE THE WORST!”

“ACCEPT MY LOVE!”

Wally glared at Roy for a while , and Roy tried to contain his own laughter that was threatening to come out in order to glare back at him. Eventually, Wally gave up.

“FINE! I love you too.”

“Yeah I know, you told me countless times. My favorite one was at my wedding when you sobbed into my arms for twenty minutes. “

“aaand you’re back. I can’t stand you. now feed me this soup isn’t gonna serve itself. “

“I knew it, you love being pampered. “

Wally grumbled, and ate the soup. Once he was done, he said:

“you know, I don’t know if I deserve your praise. “

“Why not?”

“I knew Jason would probably want to kill the Caretaker, and I did absolutely nothing to try and dissuade him. I couldn’t find it in me to stop him for some reason. And that’s kinda messed up. “

“So? In the end, he didn’t die.”

“Yeah, thanks to Caleb.”

“Don’t beat yourself up too much Wally, you’ve had a rough couple of days, and you probably weren’t in the right state of mind.”

“but, after all the efforts and progress Jay’s made, it could have sent him over the edge. Especially killing in front of his son. I should have done something.”

“You aren’t responsible for Jay’s choices. And in the end, he chose right. I think. I’m still not sure I wouldn’t have been happy with the Caretaker’s head on a spike. “

“I mean… I can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind either.”

“You’ve become darker as you’ve become older, I hope you realize that.”

“I do. And I would be concerned, but Dick think it’s sexy.”

“Oh, if Dick approves then, who are we to complain? I’ll admit that it’s not that bad of a look on you, as long as you don’t go too ar with it. I like goofy, optimistic Wally. Reminds me that human beings are sometimes worth saving. “

“I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blblbl honestly Wally and Roy's bromance is UNDERRATED! Wally is like, a collector of Robins AND archers and I love him. and Roy is hilaroious and the actual worst/best.
> 
> Next chapter: Grief and Hope


	12. Belonging

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just Jason and Roy accidentally adopting grown adults.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't stop writing! we're so clooooooose! so close to the end! this chapter isn't as good as I hoped it would be, but it still has a special place in my heart.  
> I hope you enjoy

The doppelgangers stayed until Amy’s funeral. They felt it important to pay their respect before going back to their world and their lives.

When the ceremony ended, instead of going home, Jason decided to pay a visit to Nathan. He was sorting out all of Amy’s belongings in her old apartment. When he opened the door, he looked like a ghost. Pale, deep dark circles around his eyes. He’d come to the funeral of course, but left as soon as Amy had been buried, not able to stand it a minute longer, which Jason understood.

“Oh, Hi. You’re um… Jason, right? Sorry, I’m still trying to… remember who’s who, and having all those doubles didn’t help so…”

“No worries, and yeah, that’s me. Can I come in?”

“I… I guess. Yeah. Sorry for the mess, it’s… a work in progress. Amy has… had a lot of stuff to sort through. “

“I get it.”

He looked around all the boxes. It looked like someone was moving out, but the more accurate term would be moving on.

His eyes fell on a box labeled ‘Ames’ music stuff’

“I remember you guys playing at Dickie’s wedding,” he stated, “you were good. She had an incredible voice.”

“Right? I wanted nothing more than to see her pursue a career in music. I knew she had what it took to make it big, and she was never as alive and happy as when she was on stage. Hearing her sing, it… it made everything better to me. And that’s a gift I wish she could have shared with the world. But I guess she found another way to save people…”

“I’m sorry, Nathan. We failed at protecting her. We failed her, and we failed you. “

Nathan didn’t answer. Instead, he said with a joyless laugh:

“It’s funny, cause she never wanted this. She never imagined herself as a superhero, it wasn’t something she dreamed about, but I did. Since we were kids, I wanted to get powers out of nowhere, to get a flashy costume and go around kicking supervillains’ asses. But she’d always tell me ‘it sounds awesome when you say it, but I think it would be a lot less fun to actually do it.’ And for a long time I didn’t get it. How could I, when I didn’t know… when I didn’t know just how special she was, and how much it had already cost her? And then when this all thing started, she was so nervous, but I was excited for her. I was so hyped up by the idea of being part of all of this, even just a little bit, meeting you all, hearing about all that was happening, helping her with research. It never occurred to me that she could lose her life, and I feel so fucking dumb now. Like…. How could I overlook this? I’m a fool. And now she’s gone, and… I didn’t even get to say goodbye. She told me she was going to face the Caretaker, and all I said was ‘alright, kick his ass, I’ll see you later’. How could I have been so carefree? She must have been so scared… she…”

He swallowed hard, holding back his tears, before falling on the couch, defeated. Jason sat next to him and said.

“The last thing I ever said to my brother before dying was to go fuck himself. “

“I… what?”

“Oh yeah, I died. Didn’t stick, for some messed up reasons that I won’t get into right now, anyway. I had a fight with him the day before. About me being reckless of all things, the irony. And I was so angry, and I just told him I hated him, that he wasn’t even my real family, and to go fuck himself. Then I left, and I died. And I’ve wondered for years how that affected him after I… anyway. I think as far as last words go, yours aren’t that bad. “

“… When you put it like that yeah, but… I could have said so much more. I just… I’m not a stranger to losing someone. I lost my dad, when I was sixteen. I lost Hecate too, and she was like family to me. But for some reason, Amy… I didn’t see Amy as someone who could ever die. She was my constant, I always thought she’d be there wherever I went. And now that she’s gone I…. I don’t even know if I know who I am anymore.”

“I get what you mean. And I’m not going to tell you I know the answer, but I think with time, maybe a lot of time, you’ll find it for yourself. It’s going to be excruciatingly hard, and somedays are going to feel worse than others, but you won’t go through this alone. You’ll always have someone to help you through it. Amy gave her life for my son. In my books, she’s family. That makes you family too. I’ll be there, no matter what you need. We all will.”

“You… you barely no me?”

“And that matters because? Besides, you’re Bartie’s friend, that means you’re a good person by default.”

“That’s…. a crazy way of deciding on someone’s valor, but I guess it makes sense.”

“it really does. All this to say, you can lean on me kid. Whether you need to vent, to scream and shout, to cry, I’ll be there. Okay?”

“I… I’ll keep that in mind, thank you Jason.”

“You’re welcome. One last thing. It’s a bit weird but, I have something, something that belonged to Amy, and I think she would want you to have it. “

Nathan looked at him curiously, and Jason conjured the sword out of nowhere, making the poor younger man jump.

“Is… is that Hecate’s sword? “

“It is. There are no Hopes left, but I think you’d be a good guardian for this sword. I think that’s what Amy would have wanted.”

“I…”

Nathan couldn’t find the words, stuck in disbelief. He slowly and carefully took the sword In his hands, and the moment he touched it he gasped.

“I… it feels like her… it feels like she’s with me…”

Jason lifted an eyebrow, before it started to make sense. He’d sensed a sort of presence, as if the sword was not only powerful, but sentient in a way. Maybe a part of Amy still lived through that sword.

“Thank you… thank you for this… I had been feeling so empty… I…”

And Nate finally let himself cry, Jason wrapping his arms around him protectively. He’ll make sure to take care of him, for Amy.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days after finally coming home to their own world, Roy had asked Amy to come visit. She’d already been told all about what had happened in the other reality by Bart who’d gone to her almost as soon as he’d stepped out of the interdimensional portal, and he’d spent at least an hour just sobbing while she tried to calm him down and make sense of his broken sentences and apologies. When he’d finally been able to talk coherently, she hadn’t known what to think of all that had happened. And now, Caleb’s father wanted to see her? What was she supposed to say?

She tried not to let her anxiety eat her alive as she knocked on the door, almost immediately answered by Caleb who gave her a big toothy grin and hugged her enthusiastically.

She felt all her worries go away instantly. Caleb always had this effect on her. She’d gotten to know the kid for the past few months, and had instantly been won over by him. Knowing another version of her had died for him didn’t make her sad to be honest, she knew she would have done the same.

“Hi there Callie, did you miss me?”

He nodded vigorously, and a deep voice said:

“He’s been waiting by the door for an hour, waiting for you to show up”

Amy saw Roy approach them, smiling at her. She tried not to get too intimidated, but then again, social anxiety didn’t help.

“I uh… really?”

“Really. He literally adores you. He’s told us plenty of stories of how nice uncle Bartie’s pretty friend was to him. “

She willed her face not to blush, instead smiling down at Caleb who was still clinging onto her. Caleb shrugged and said

“I told daddy that you learned the Pokémon song on the piano cause I asked.”

Amy laughed at that.

“I don’t know who got more excited about that, you or Nate.”

“Nate’s cool too! He watches Pokémon with me.”

“I really thought this Pokémon phase would fade out, but apparently it’s a way of life at this point,” Roy sighed fondly.

“Oh, you can’t get rid of it once it’s taken over, trust me I have the same at home. Nate has been obsessed for nearly twenty years at this point.”

“It could be worse I guess. Come on let’s sit down. I made tea, Bart said you hated coffee.”

“Coffee’s yucky,” Caleb grimaced, and Amy couldn’t help but agree.

They sat down to drink, tea for the adults and an orange juice for Caleb.

“So. How have you been? How are you taking all the news?”

“I’m… still processing, to be honest, but I’m good. I mean… seeing Bart so devastated was… I hope I never have to see that ever again.”

“I get that. It’s been very traumatic for him. For all of us, but him especially, being so close to you and all.”

“Yeah… I guess I’m lucky to even be here right now. And it’s all over… My family has only had one purpose for centuries, and now it’s done… I’m… free “

“You’ve earned it.”

“Have I really? Cause it doesn’t fell like I did.”

“But you did. You’ve lost so much, and yet you stood tall. You’ve accepted your family’s burden as your responsibility without a second thought, and you would have been ready to protect Caleb at all cost. The fact that you didn’t get to do it doesn’t change the fact that you deserve your freedom and happiness. “

“I guess… I still feel like I should do... something. The Caretaker’s gone, but my powers aren’t. And I… I never wanted this, you know? I always wanted a normal life. But now that I’m finally able to do it, I don’t think I can… I need to do more. I can’t keep denying my powers. I owe it to myself, and I owe it to the other me, I think. “

“So you’d want to get into the business? For real?”

“I… I guess? I don’t know… maybe I’m being too full of myself, I’m probably not cut out for this…”

“You are. I’m sure of it. I know someone. A magician. She could help you train, if you wanted. I would offer, and I might be able to teach you a thing or two, but magic is where I draw the line unfortunately.”

“I… that would be great actually, thank you…”

“You’re welcome. Whether you become a superhero or not, you’re one of us now, you know? You’ve been officially adopted into this crazy family. So anything you need, just ask.”

Amy didn’t know what to say. It was strange, to feel how sincere Roy was saying this. She really felt it, the sense of belonging, of being part of something bigger than herself.

“I’m more than honored to be part of this ‘crazy family’… I’ve never belonged anywhere, I mean, except with Nate… I love my adoptive family, they are the most amazing people on Earth, but I could never fully be myself with them. Even with Nate, it took me years to tell him the truth about my powers, event though he knew everything else…. But you guys know, and you’ve always treated me like… like you get it, if that makes sense? Bart was the first of course, but… whenever I meet one of you, I always feel like I’m… understood… I never thought I would find that anywhere. “

“ I understand perfectly. Hell, I don’t even have cosmic defying powers and I have had a hard time finding my place in this world. I think that’s the key. Putting a bunch of misfits together and hoping for the best. In my experience, it mostly works out.”

Amy looked around at the room, her eyes getting caught by the pictures on the counter. Various family pictures.

“I guess it does,” she said with a smile.

“You staying for dinner? I made lemon pie.”

“Sure! That’s my favorite kind too!”

“Fun fact, that’s also Batman’s favorite”

“Batman eats pie?!”

Roy burst out laughing at that, and Amy couldn’t help but join him. All in all, freedom felt good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhhh CAN JAYROY STOP ADOPTING EVERY SINGLE PERSON THEY MEET CSDBNIZEOEBZZEPDIPSDZNKXNQS  
> seriously tho they're the best I love them.
> 
> next Chapter; Damians, brothers and uncles (this will be the second to last chapter)


	13. The Kids are Alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Both Damians having heart to hearts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> blblbllblblbl I CANT BELIEVE HOW FAST IM GOING DID I BECOME A SPEEDSTER IPPAKA?ZSLDLSDS S  
> Anyway I love my Damis and I love this chapter, I love how both Damians ended their arcs and I wouldn't change it for the world. that's it. done.  
> I hope you enjoy xxx

Damian didn’t know why it was so hard. It was just a question, why did it not want to come out?

But deep down, a part of him knew that it was more than just a question, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answers. However, he also knew it would haunt him not to know. So he finally decided to do it. He took a deep breath, and said:

“Who’s Uncle Jake?”

In hindsight, maybe he shouldn’t have asked that while Dick was driving. He braked so suddenly and so hard that they only narrowly avoided being hit.

“What the fuck Grayson?! What’s wrong with you?!”

“What’s wrong with… how did you learn that name?! “

“Other me mentioned him in passing. I just wonder why I’ve never heard of that guy. “

Dick didn’t answer, his hands gripping the wheel so tight his fingers were all white. His face was somber, like Damian had never seen him before. He looked almost murderous.

“We’re not talking about this while I’m driving, “was all he said when he finally answered.

Damian nodded slowly, not really wanting to piss him off even more at that point.

Once they got to their destination (Dick’s apartment) , they sat in the living room in total silence, Damian not daring to ask his question again, too nervous all of a sudden. At some point, Dick sighed with frustration and resignation, and said:

“So. You want to know about Jake.”

“I mean, if it’s a sore subject, never mind…”

“It’s not… it’s complicated. But I guess you should know. It does concern you, in a way. “

“You mean it concerns the other me.”

“hm. So. Jacob Turner was Bruce’s schoolmate, and one of his closest friend for years.”

“What happened to him?”

“I’m getting there. Jake was… we loved the guy. He was family in a way, I mean I called him uncle. But after that whole mess with other you and Bart, I started…. Feeling weird about him. Like he was not who I had always thought he was. So, I finally decided to investigate, well actually Kon pushed me to do it, but anyway. Long story short, I found out just how much of an actual basket case that guy was. You see, he was obsessed with Bruce. Obsessed with being the only influence in his life, with the idea of being able to control him. Ad since a very young age, he’d done everything in his power to keep everyone else away from him, sometimes resulting to despicable means. He destroyed countless lives for this one purpose of keeping Bruce under his thumb. But then, Batman happened, and I got there, and somehow he never managed to get rid of me, just like he couldn’t get rid of Alfred who was the only one who saw right through him. He did try to have me kidnapped or possibly assassinated, but that didn’t really work out for him. So instead, he decided to play the doting uncle and I fell for it. Eventually when he arrived so did Jason. Then I found out all those terrible things about him and I knew I couldn’t let him be anywhere near my family any longer. So I took care of it. I got a confession out of him, but since I was a stupid teenager, I also got drugged and kidnapped in the process. Please don’t mention that time in front of Wally, he’s still salty about that, he had to save my sorry ass. Anyway long story short, he’s now rotting in prison for the foreseeable future.”

“Huh… I see. And what does that have to do with me?”

Dick swallowed. This was the part he was dreading to talk about.

“ I didn’t start suspecting Jake out of nowhere. One day, I was hanging with other you, and I got a text from Bruce telling me Jake was coming over that very night. When he heard “uncle Jake”, other you completely spiraled and had the mother of all panic attacks. I knew something wasn’t right, but he wouldn’t say anything about it, and Bart looked like he wanted to kill someone, but also kept his mouth shut, event though it looked like it physically hurt him not to say anything. I didn’t know what had happen, and to this day I still only have a vague idea, but I knew that I douldn’t let you go through whatever that was. I had to make sure you were safe.”

Damian opened his eyes wide, suddenly remembering how small and anxious his double had sounded when he’d asked him about Jake. What could have possibly happen to make him so afraid of that man? It made him shiver.

“ you protected me. You hadn’t even met me but you were already risking it all for me.”

“Of course I was Dami, How could I not?”

“You’re unbelievable Grayson. I literally cannot believe you.”

“See, I think you’re trying to compliment me, but with you I’m never sure.”

“Idiot. I love you.”

“…I beg your pardon?”

“You’re the best big brother I could have ever asked for, and I love you.”

“I… Dami…”

“Just say you love me too and let’s move on shall we? I’ve had enough sappiness to last a lifetime.”

Dick shook his head and hugged Damian so tight he couldn’t breathe. He let him, though.

“You can’t say things like that and expect me to just brush over it. Also yes I love you too but it’s not like I don’t tell you at least once a day.”

“Yeah I know. Let me go now, under no circumstance is this turning into a cuddling session.”

“Y’all hear something?”

Damian sighed loudly and profoundly, before accepting his fate and making himself comfortable. He was going to be here for a while.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Damian had never been a big fan of the beach. First of all, he hated sand, and he realized it made him sound like a young Anakin Skywalker, but honestly, he couldn’t care less because sand DID get everywhere. However, he’d forced Bart to get out of bed, promising to do whatever he wanted in return, and Bart had wanted to go to the beach, so he obliged.

Here they were, sitting in the sand ( Damian was already cursing under his breath) watching the waves coming and going. It seemed to bring a semblance of peace to Bart at least.

“You know, I chose the beach specifically for you to give up on forcing me to go out, but now that we’re here, I’m actually glad we came.”

“First of all you’re evil. And you need to get your mind off things.”

“I know… it’s just. We’re home now and everything should be back to normal. But I can’t… I can’t get her face out of my mind. I can’t stop thinking about her dying in my arms. I know it wasn’t… my Amy, but… it doesn’t make it hurt less.”

“I understand. And you have the right to mourn her, no one is going to keep you from doing it. But you also need to be careful not to shut us all away. So I decided to bully you a bit before the thought even starts to get into your brain.”

“It’s effective. I promise I won’t shut you all out. “

“Good.”

“I can’t believe you’re the same kid who was so sure Jon was gonna break up with him over nothing when this all started.”

“Listen, I have a lot of unfounded fears, we’re aware, let’s not talk about it right now.

“Oh we’re talking about it, it’s a great subject. Did you end up finding out what he wanted to talk to you about?”

“…he wanted more pictures of the two of us…3

“You’re ridiculous. I told you so.”

“yeah, yeah you did.”

Bart smiled, and Damian rolled his eyes. There was silence for a while, the comfortable kind. Then Damian decided to brush another sensitive subject.

“ he didn’t know who Jake was. “

Bart grimaced.

“ what are you talking about?”

“the other me. I asked him about Jake and he had no idea who I was talking about.”

“you… oh… so… it didn’t happen to him.”

“I guess not. maybe Dick put two and two together somehow.”

“Probably… How does that make you feel?”

“I… honestly? It’s… freeing. I mean sure, he was very different from me, but he was still … me, if that makes sense. and it made me realize… my past trauma doesn’t define me. I’ve always felt like I was broken, but… maybe I’m alright, after all.”

“I’m so proud of you Dami.”

Damian allowed himself a small smile as his eyes were still on the sea, and said:

“ yeah, so am I. “

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
> I am sadness. but I also am joy. I love my Damis so much 😭😭😭😭
> 
> Next Chapter: it always comes full circle ( yes, it will be the last chapter)


	14. Full Circle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another Milestone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hhhhhhhhhhhh  
> Hi.  
> So.  
> This is it. the last chapter.  
> To be honest the real last chapter of this fic (and the Paradox Trilogy) was the one before, because Bart and Damian have always been the main characters of this trilogy.  
> But this one is the ending of the whole Super hero Young Love series. and I even named it full circle! gah I love full circles.  
> Anyway we're back to one of the staples of my writing, cause honestly, I have been MISSING writing textfics so baaaad! ( I might do something about that, but we'll talk about that later)  
> I know it's short and I'm sorry about that, but I honestly am so scared of trying to make it longer caus eI feel it would ruin the whole chapter. I think it's perfect the way it is.   
> I truly hope you enjoy xxx

**Dickie <3:**

Are you still crying in the bathroom?

**Walls <3:**

YES I AM LEAVE ME ALONE

**Dickie <3:**

Wally it’s literally starting in thirty minutes you need to get a grip

**Walls <3:**

I CAN’T

MY BABY’S GETTING MARRIED

HOW DO YOU EXPECT ME TO BE FINE

**Dickie <3:**

I’m not expecting you to be fine just to fake it

**Walls <3:**

Is that what you’re doing?

**Dickie <3:**

Obviously

**Walls <3:**

Huh

I’ll try but fair warning,

I WILL cry during the vows

And the speeches

And the first dance

And the cake cutting

**Dickie <3:**

You will cry all throughout basically

**Walls <3:**

Yes.

**Dickie <3:**

I can’t stand you

Fine

Good thing I brought tissues

**Walls <3:**

Like you’re not going to cry just as much

**Dickie <3:**

Slander.

Anyway who would have thought huh?

Our Bartie

A married man

**Walls <3:**

I’m still in denial

**Dickie <3:**

Come on, it’s not like he is marrying a complete douche bag

You love Jaime

**Walls <3:**

Of course I love Jaime

How couldn’t I?

It doesn’t make it any less emotional to see my baby

Getting hitched

Even though it’s mostly happy tears

Mostly

**Dickie <3:**

I’m starting to think Bart is right and we really should adopt an actual baby

And stop treating him like one

**Walls <3:**

How dare he

After all we’ve done for him

But if that’s your way of telling me 

You’re thinking about us having a child

I wouldn’t be against that.

**Dickie <3:**

Yeah?

**Walls <3:**

Yeah

**Dickie <3:**

I love you

**Walls <3:**

So you’ve said countless times

**Dickie <3:**

Doesn’t make it any less true

**Walls <3:**

Hm

Love you too sweetheart

Now come hug me cause Tim just showed

Me the powerpoint of pictures he’s prepared of old photos

Of Bart and Jaime

And I’m not coping well

**Dickie <3:**

Why did I marry you

I’ll be there in a second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I... It's over. truly over and I don't kow how to feel. I've been struggling with how to feel for a while. on the one hand I'm so fucking relieved cause I had such a hard time writing this last fic. and I didn't want to abandon it, it wasn't an option to me. I needed to finish it and now it's done and I'm happy with how it ended, well, mostly.  
> couple things: first of all, I wanted to thank every single person who ever read even one chapter of my fics. everyone who left kudos, comments, that gave me such great encouragements and support. it's been a long ass ride (If you get that reference you're my new best friend) but even when I felt like I was going nowhere, knowing even just one person might read and like what I wrote made it all worth it. so thank you, I could never say it enough
> 
> second, I know there are a lot of things that were left unsaid in this fic. if you have any questions about headcanons and the likes, you can leave a comment and I'll either answer directly, or if I feel like it deserves more developpment, I'll do an entry in my "Author's notes and Hedcanons" project.  
> thirdly, now that it's done, I have to think about the future lmao. I have several ideas of what I'm gonna do next, but I need advice. so I'm going to write a special author's note to end this book later today and there might be a poll, so stay tuned for that I guess? yeah .
> 
> aaand that's it! again, thank you all so much, you guys mean the world to me, this series has meant the world for me, it helped me deal with a lot of things, sometimes consciously , sometimes not (lmao not me writing about Kon being pan for three whole years before realizing I was also pan lmao why am I like this anyway) and I'm a bit sad to have to leave the safety blanket that was this universe for me behind, but also happy because I feel I'll survive just fine without it from now on.
> 
> Goodbye for now ,  
> BlackAndBlueMadness


	15. AUTHOR'S NOTE! What comes next, and poll

HIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!

So. 

Let's get straight to business shall we.

first of all, I'm gonna write another textfic, cause like, I miss that shit? fr tho, that was the highlight of my life for a while. 

I know what I want the main plot to be , but I need help for something in particular, hence the poll, but we'll get back to that later.

I also have a second idea that's more recent, I've just been obsessing over Wandavision so much taht it finally gave me an idea. I'd like to write a post Endgame ( the YJ episode, not the Avengers movie lmao I know it's confusing af) fake reality au with Dick as the main character. I think you can guess where I'm going with this. I don't think I would go the sitcom route like Wandavision cause first of all, my knowledge of sitcoms is very limited, but I have several ideas of how that would work. it's not my first time working with fake realities (don't ask, you really don't wanna know, I have a weird brain).

anyway, lemme know if you'd be interested in that fic, but that's not my main reason for writing this AN.

So. to the poll. 

I want to give you as little context as possible (even though I think a lot people are going to guess). I've been thinking about this in the back of my head since like a few chapters into the first textfic. and it only grew throughout the years. 

so let me ask you now: which Super/Robin/speedster trio do you think is better:

**Kon, Dick and Wally**

or

**Kon, Tim and Bart** ?

honestly I can't for the life of me choose, so I leave the decision to y'all.

that's it! see you guys in the comments hopefully! love you 

BlackAndBlueMadness xxx

**Author's Note:**

> If you wanna talk about the story in the comments I'm always happy to respond! xxx


End file.
